WASHINGTON: The United States said Monday that rare direct talks with North Korea have had a "business-like atmosphere," with US officials hoping to hear about steps by Pyongyang on denuclearization.
US and North Korean officials on Monday opened two days of talks in Geneva, following up on a meeting July in New York where the United States called for a clear commitment that the communist state is abandoning its nuclear weapons.
"I would say that they have been ongoing in a business-like atmosphere," State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland said in Washington of the talks in Geneva.
"We look forward, in this round, to hearing what they have taken from what we said in July and whether we are able to make progress now, particularly on the nuclear side," she said.
Nuland reiterated that the United States also wanted North Korea to resume dialogue to ease tensions with South Korea, which soared last year after two deadly incidents blamed on the North.
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.