North Korean nuclear talks open in Beijing

Representatives from six nations are meeting in Beijing in an attempt to resolve the issue of North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

Representatives from the United States, North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia began nuclear disarmament talks, with the U.S. pushing for progress after three rounds of negotiations have failed to end North Korea's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang abandoned the talks last year and has since claimed it already possesses nuclear weapons, heightening tension over what the International Atomic Energy Agency calls the world's most dangerous nuclear proliferation issue.

The fact that the talks are happening at all is seen by many as a positive sign.

On Monday, for the first time since America accused the Stalinist state of a secret weapons push in October 2002, representatives from both nations held a closed-door meeting.

Speaking before their meeting, top U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill said the U.S. and North Korea needed to review the situation.

"I want to stress these are not negotiations," he said. "We are just trying to get acquainted, to review how we see things coming up and compare notes."

"We have to produce an agreement this time," a South Korean government official said after his nation's talks with the U.S. delegation.