BEIJING, June 23 (UPI) -- U.S. officials at talks on North Korea's nuclear crisis presented an offer of aid Wednesday to Pyongyang in exchange for ending its atomic weapons program.
James A. Kelly, the chief U.S. negotiator at the six-nation summit, proposed to North Korea's delegates that they reveal and phase out all nuclear arms programs in exchange for fuel oil and security guarantees.
Earlier Wednesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wang Yi started the proceedings saying there were two key issues during the June 23-26 gathering. First was "how to realize a nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula" while the second was finding "how to make the first step toward that goal.
After host nation China, the five delegations' leaders spoke in alphabetical order with Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea going next.
Kim said he hoped the meeting would "break the stalemate between the DPRK and U.S." and offered a "freeze versus corresponding measures," North Korean parlance for halting nuclear weapons programs in exchange for a security dialog with the United States and economic aid.
