N. Korea Nuclear Talks End Without a Deal

BEIJING - Six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program ended Saturday without any major breakthrough, but a U.S. official declared them "very successful" and the governments involved promised to push ahead with diplomatic efforts.

The United States, North Korea and other governments agreed to hold more senior-level talks before July and form a lower-level working group to handle details involved in solving the 16-month-old dispute, officials announced.

The governments failed to agree on the U.S. demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons program, said the chief Chinese delegate, Wang Yi, who cited an "extreme lack of trust."

But the North said it was ready to do so once Washington gives up what Pyongyang calls a "hostile policy" toward the isolated regime, according to Wang.

The four-day meeting, which began Wednesday, was the second round of six-nation talks organized by China on the 16-month standoff. In exchange for giving up its nuclear program, the hunger-stricken North wants aid and security guarantees.

The senior U.S. official said the atmosphere of two one-on-one meetings between the American and North Korean delegations was "much better" than during the previous round of talks in August.

"The event has exceeded my expectations," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. However, he added: "The devil is in the details."

The talks were "very successful in moving our agenda toward our goal of complete, verifiable, irreversible dismantlement of the DPRK's nuclear programs," the official said, referring to the North by the initials of its full name.

The United States repeatedly has demanded the comprehensive dismantling of the North's nuclear program, and refuses to grant concessions if Pyongyang freezes the program but does not abolish it entirely.

Other participants in the talks were South Korea, Japan and Russia.

Wang, a vice foreign minister, said the governments failed to agree on the American demand for the North to give up its nuclear weapons program.

"The parties did not have consensus on this proposal or the scope of North Korea's giving up nuclear weapons," he said. However, he said, North Korea "made clear its readiness" to give up its weapons program "once the United States gives up its so-called `hostile policy' toward North Korea."

The United States affirmed that it had "no hostile intent" against the North, Wang said. "It has no intention to invade or attack North Korea," he said. "It has no intention to seek regime change against North Korea."

The governments established what they called a framework to continue diplomatic work and agreed to hold the third round of the six-party talks in Beijing no later than July, Wang said.