No breakthrough in US talks with North Korea

The US and North Korea today stepped up diplomacy at international arms talks, meeting one-on-one to address the communist nation’s nuclear weapons program and alleged financial crimes that have been an obstacle to the disarmament negotiations.

But US officials gave no indications of any early breakthrough after the second day of the latest round of six-nation disarmament talks – which have failed over more than three years of meetings to prevent the communist nation from further developing its nuclear program that culminated with its first-ever atomic detonation on October 9.