Talks aimed at persuading North Korea to give up nuclear weapons could resume within two weeks, Washington's chief envoy to the long-running negotiations said on Sunday, according to Reuters. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill was speaking after meeting Wu Dawei, China's chief negotiator in the six-party talks which are hosted by Beijing, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported. "Talking to Wu Dawei, I think he agrees with me, we should do it soon as everybody can agree," Kyodo quoted Hill as saying. "I can't tell you at this point when it will be, but I think probably in the next couple of weeks." North and South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia take part in the talks, which began in 2003 with the aim of persuading impoverished Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear arms development. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said on Sunday the earliest possible date for reopening the talks was early February, Kyodo said. "Time does not permit (a resumption of talks) this month. If it happens, it would be in early February," Aso told reporters. The last round in December ended inconclusively.
