Morning Walk-Through, St. Regis Hotel, Beijing, China -- September 29, 2007

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Good morning.  We have a 9 o’clock head of delegation meeting, so I’m kind of late.  I think this morning there’s going to be a lot of discussion about the energy assistance, including the fuel oil.  And I think as some of you have noticed, the U.S. has signed out our amount of fuel oil.  And we’ll be shipping in the next tranche.

QUESTION:  Mr. Ambassador, have you heard from the Chinese regarding the draft and whether it’s going to be circulated?

ASSISTANT SECRTARY HILL:  I haven’t heard anything, but I suspect we will in about twenty minutes when I get out to Diaoyutai.  

QUESTION:  And regarding a possible extension of the talks?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I haven’t heard that.  Have you?  Because I have a plane reservation for this afternoon.

QUESTION:  Is today a make or break day for the talks?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  No, I don’t think it’s a make or break day.  Again, I think we’re going to be discussing a lot of details, and today the details will probably be more about fuel assistance.

QUESTION:  There was a report overnight that the U.S. was willing to spend up to 25 million for 50,000 tons of oil.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  That’s part of our shipment.  As you know, the four countries Russia, South Korea, U.S. and China have agreed to participate in the total amount and the 50,000 tons of fuel oil with respect to this tranche of denuclearization actions.  So there’s the declaration of all the nuclear programs and the disablement.  So, the Chinese were first in this tranche, and I guess we’ll be second.  And and I think Russia is working on something for the next tranche.

QUESTION:  Ambassador Hill, what is the biggest difference between U.S. and the DPRK on disablement?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I think the issue is we have a common definition, which is the idea that if there were a return -- and of course we’re not planning on a return to plutonium production -- but it should be made difficult by a process of disablement.  And so our definition of difficult is several months, and we would argue it should be twelve months.  As you recall in ’02, there was no disablement, and it took them two months.  So with disablement, we think it should be more or less twelve months.  That’s kind of our metric on this matter.  What we’re looking at are specific actions in terms of taking things apart, taking equipment apart, and trying to measure the effect of that action by the number of months it would take to retard putting it back together. So if that sounds like a lot of nuts and bolts, it is.  

OK.  I‘ve got to go.

QUESTION:  Did you say you were leaving today?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I was hoping.  I have a plane reservation for this afternoon, because I’ve got to get back to New York.  That’s my plan.  So I hope we can wrap things up today.

QUESTION:  Can you tell us when the first shipment, U.S. shipment will be?  (Inaudible).

ASSISTANT SECRETARY:  I would imagine some time in October, I think.  But the fact is, it’s all ready to go.  And that’s now a technical question, but I think it’s some time in October.  

QUESTION:  Not the delivery but the shipment?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Again, I’m not an expert on trans-Pacific shipping.  But it’s fuel oil, and it comes out of the U.S.  It will be coming on a U.S. ship.  So that’s to be scheduled.  Things like that.

QUESTION:  Do you know how long it will take?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I don’t know how long it takes to cross the ocean.

QUESTION:  Will you be stopping back here or going directly to the airport?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I’d come back here.  I’ve really go to go.  Bye.

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