N. Korea and U.S. resume talks

For the first time in two months North Korea and the United States have come together at the negotiating table for bilateral talks with a meeting Sept. 27 at United Nations Headquarters in New York for the actualization of the Geneva Nuclear Accord and the possibility of a removal of North Korea from the list of terrorist nations.

The head delegate for the United States, the Special Envoy for the Peace in the Korean Peninsula Charles Kartman, talked at the table for seven hours in the morning and afternoon sessions and reported that the talks were going well. However, he did not elaborate on the issues being discussed nor the progress being made.

The North's delegation led by the Foreign Affairs Minister Kim Gae-Kwan only confirmed that the talks would resume the next day and left for their hotel. The United States and North Korea were scheduled for a second day of talks Sept. 28 beginning at 10 a.m.

Members of both delegations, following the morning session Sept. 27, headed for a Chinese restaurant near the area for lunch. A foreign correspondent at the U.N. observed that with so many sensitive issues coming to the table at once, such as the North's missile development and exports, and the discontinuation of support for terrorist activities, much will hinge on how Washington will be able to handle the talks gracefully so that the North Korea does not lose face.