North Korea talks 'will take a long time': U.S. delegate

(CBC) - Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. delegate to the six-party talks on the denuclearization of North Korea, says he sees no breakthrough on the immediate horizon.

"It's been a long day without a lot of progress to report," he said. "We continue to have rather major differences between North Korea on one hand and the other five parties on the other. But I think everyone is committed to getting back there in the morning Tuesday and seeing what we can do."

Hill was speaking at the end of the seventh day of talks and after another two rounds of bilateral meetings with the North Koreans.

Hill's view was echoed by the South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-Soon. "The talks are progressing. Now we are discussing concrete matters and the details of the issues will keep progressing, although it will take a long time until it's finished," he said.

Key disarmament issues continue to persist with the argument boiling down to whether North Korea should dismantle its weapons before it gets aid and security guarantees or whether it gets the incentives first.

Meanwhile all parties are still involved in the wording of the final document. China has resubmitted a revised document aimed at establishing a framework on ridding the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons.