By DPA
Beijing : North Korean chief negotiator Kim Gye Gwan arrived in Beijing Tuesday for talks on the six-nation process for ending Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
Chinese state media said Kim was expected to meet top Chinese officials and possibly US negotiator Christopher Hill, who was scheduled to arrive in Beijing later Tuesday.
North Korea Monday reaffirmed its intention to begin the disablement of key nuclear facilities Thursday.
The pledge was made during a bilateral meeting on energy aid with South Korean officials, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
North Korea shut down its main Yongbyon reactor and other key facilities earlier this year as part of a six-nation agreement in February to abandon its nuclear programme.
Experts from the US, China and Russia are expected to travel to North Korea to assist in the permanent disabling of the reactor by the end of this year.
North Korea pledged to give up its nuclear ambitions in return for energy aid and eventual restoration of formal diplomatic relations with the US.
The six-nation talks, held over the last three years in Beijing, have included China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.