City
Epaper

US-N.Korea to hold preliminary n-talks in Stockholm

By IANS | Updated: October 4, 2019 10:50 IST

US and North Korean officials were slated to meet on Friday in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, the eve of their formal working-level nuclear talks, after Pyongyang ratcheted up tensions with a test-firing of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile.

Open in App

The two sides were expected to have "preliminary contact" in Stockholm in the morning before their first official negotiations since the no-deal summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in February, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The exact time and venue for Friday's meeting were yet to be officially announced.

The deputy chiefs of the countries' delegations Mark Lambert of the US and Kwon Jong-gun of the North were expected to attend the preliminary session.

Top US nuclear envoy, Stephen Biegun, and his counterpart, Kim Myong-gil, could also appear to exchange greetings, observers said.

The talks come after a month-long hiatus caused by gaps in the countries' negotiation positions and tensions triggered by the North's angry reaction to a South Korea-US military exercise in August and its saber-rattling, including the firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday.

The North's delegation chief Kim Myong-gil voiced optimism in Beijing on Thursday en route to Sweden. His team arrived in the Swedish capital on Thursday afternoon.

"As the US side sent a new signal, I bear high expectations and optimism, and I am also optimistic about the results," Yonhap quoted the official as telling reporters at Beijing International Capital Airport.

Meanwhile, Seoul's foreign ministry has not dispatched any staff to Sweden, though it was keeping a close watch on the resumption of the negotiations between the US and the North.

In a parliamentary audit on Thursday, South Korean Ambassador to the UN Cho Tae-yul made an emphatic call for the North to "change course" and dismiss the idea that time may be on its side.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: usnorthKim Myong GilKim Jong Unsweden
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalFlorida Shooting: US Rapper Offset Injured at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood; Two Detained

InternationalMajid Khademi Death: IRGC Intel Chief Killed in US-Israel Attack, Confirms Iran

InternationalLaGuardia Airport Plane Accident: At Least 2 Killed, Several Injured After Air Canada Express CRJ-900 Collides With Fire Truck on Runway

InternationalUS-Israel-Iran War: Japan, Germany, France Show Caution Over Trump’s Strait of Hormuz Warship Plan

InternationalUK Watchdogs Urge Social Media Giants To Stop Children Accessing Platforms

International Realted Stories

InternationalPakistan's crackdown on Ahmadis exposes deep-rooted institutional persecution: Report

International"A whole civilisation will die tonight": Trump claims "total regime change" in Iran as deadline looms

InternationalUS has largely achieved military objectives in Iran: JD Vance

InternationalUS official confirms strike at "dozens of military targets" on Iran's Kharg Island: Report

InternationalAfghanistan: Three women killed, two children injured as wall collapses after heavy rains in Khost