Date set for North Korea nuclear talks

The US State Department today said that the next round of six-nation North Korean nuclear talks could start on September 27.

Spokesman Tom Casey said that was the "date the Chinese have floated with us" to begin the talks.

China hosts the talks among the Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief US negotiator at the talks meant to rid the North of its nuclear weapons, plans to be in Beijing on that date, Casey said.

Casey said the Chinese are waiting to announce the date until one of the six nations confirms. He would not say which country it was, only that it was not North Korea.

As part of the six-nation process, North Korea has shut down its main nuclear reactor.

It pledged recently to the US that it would comply by the end of the year with an agreement that also calls for it to disclose all nuclear programmes and disable facilities in exchange for economic aid and political concessions.