PHILIPPINES: U.S. envoy Christopher Hill downplays effect of North Korean missile tests

Record ID: 862433

  • Title: PHILIPPINES: U.S. envoy Christopher Hill downplays effect of North Korean missile tests
  • Date: 26th May 2007
  • Summary: U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR FOR NORTH KOREA, CHRISTOPHER HILL, ENTERING BRIEFING ROOM AND GREETING REPORTERS CAMERAMEN AT BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTOPHER HILL, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR FOR NORTH KOREA TALKS, SAYING: "I don't think it affects, it doesn't affect the six-party talks." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRISTOPHER HILL, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR FOR NORTH KOREA TALKS, SAYING: "These are short-range systems. They've fired them off before. It's something they have done on several occasions. You know, obviously we'd prefer the North Koreans spend their time getting out of this, these nuclear programmes than firing off missiles but this is been done before." REPORTERS AT BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English), CHRISTOPHER HILL, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE AND CHIEF NEGOTIATOR FOR NORTH KOREA TALKS, SAYING: "What North Korea needs to do is focus on their future and their future is going to be assured by getting out of nuclear weapons business, figuring out how to work well with their neighbours. And obviously these acts today have nothing to do with that." HILL LEAVING BRIEFING
  • Embargoed: 10th June 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Philippines
  • City:
  • Country: Philippines
  • Topics: Defence / Military
  • Reuters ID: LVA9YFOQDX3BLLLQT8TB1113XDRV
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  • Story Text: The top U.S. negotiator with North Korea on Friday (May 25) played down Pyongang's firing of a several short-range missiles, saying the tests were nothing unusual.
    U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporter in Manila, where he attended preparatory meetings this week for an August summit of Asia's largest security bloc, that the test firing would not affect the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear future.
    "These are short-range systems," he said. "They've fired them off before. It's something they have done on several occasions. You know, obviously we'd prefer the North Koreans spend their time getting out of this, these nuclear programmes than firing off missiles but this is been done before," he said.
    Hill added: "What North Korea needs to do is focus on their future and their future is going to be assured by getting out of nuclear weapons business. Figuring out how to work well with their neighbours. And obviously these acts today have nothing to do with that."
    Under a February deal reached at the six-party talks, Pyongyang agreed to begin work to scrap its nuclear weapons programme, but has demanded formerly frozen funds in a Macau bank be transferred to North Korea first.
    The 25 million U.S. dollars at Banco Delta Asia was blocked after the United States blacklisted the bank, accusing it of laundering illicit North Korean funds.
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