Remarks by Christopher R. Hill
Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Morning Walk-Through, St. Regis Hotel
Beijing, China
October 31, 2007

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Hi.  I don’t really have anything new for you overnight.  I’ll be meeting with the DPRK and their delegation at their Embassy this morning.  We’ll break for lunch and possibly meet after lunch if there is more to talk about.  That would be over at our Embassy.  Then I have a couple of meetings in the Foreign Ministry, I think starting at 3:30, with Zhang Yesui and Wu Dawei.  Then I think I will go to the Russian Embassy and brief the Russian Ambassador, and then that is it.

QUESTION:  On the terrorism list issue, have you already had an agreement with the North Koreans on what exact measures they should take, or do you need further discussions on that?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  We’ve had several discussions with them, and we’ll have some additional discussions.

QUESTION: How do you see the results of yesterday’s energy working group in Panmunjom?  Do you think it is going to --

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Sorry, yesterday’s results?

QUESTION:  Energy working group.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I’ve only gotten some information from it from the press.  I’m going over to the Embassy now and hope to get some additional, concrete information about it.  From what I understood from the press, there were no surprises to me.  But I need to find out from the U.S. participants in the meeting.   

QUESTION:  Has the U.S. Government made a decision on the size of food aid to North Korea?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  My understanding is we’ve had some discussions about it.  But I don’t think any decision has been made yet, because it obviously will depend on the needs.  So I don’t think there is any final decision made.

QUESTION:  Are you thinking of giving aid bilaterally or WFP?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Well, I think the food aid would be a bilateral donation, but it would probably be given through an NGO or the WFP.  Obviously, any assistance has to be given through some established channel where there is monitoring capability.

QUESTION:  Ambassador Hill, do you have a main focus for today’s meetings?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I think disabling is a one of the main focuses.  Obviously, there are a lot of issues that we are moving ahead with in these last two months.  I think it is going to be a very busy 60 days.  My plan is to discuss a number of different issues.

QUESTION:  Can you elaborate on the issues regarding disabling that you need to iron out with North Korea?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I don’t have anything to iron out.  I think we are in pretty good shape on it.  I think we just want to discuss the fact that we have a team going in.  I think they will be going in tomorrow -- actually, tomorrow afternoon.  I think we have pretty clear understanding of what the procedures are going to be.  So I think we’ll be discussing the whole range of implementation issues of phase two.

QUESTION:  So, in other words, you have reached agreement on all the precise steps involved in disablement?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I think we are in pretty good shape on that, yes.  There are a couple of issues that have to be worked through, but I think we have an agreement on what we are doing generally.

QUESTION:  Can you give us any general idea about what the steps are going to be?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  The disabling?

QUESTION:  Yes.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  There are a number of them.  It has to do with the Yongbyon complex.  The disabling measures are in the three elements of the Yongbyon complex: fuel fabrication, the reactor, and the reprocessing facility.  There will be disabling measures taken at each.  But I’m not sure I am in a position right now to describe each of them.  But I think it is substantial disabling.  I think disabling goes beyond where we’ve been before.  So it is a very important step.

On the other hand, I want to caution everyone in understanding that this is not the last step.  The last step is complete denuclearization.  So it has to be followed by actual physical dismantling of the facilities and also, most importantly, the abandonment of the already weaponized plutonium.

QUESTION:  In the case of the reactor, this is going to be disablement.  So it is supposed to take how long, should North Korea try to reconstitute it?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  It will take considerable time and considerable expense were they ever to want to try to reconstitute it.  But of course our plan is, as we move forward in the negotiation, that is not going to be their incentive.  Their incentive will be in the opposite direction -- going from disabling to dismantling.

QUESTION:  Do you have a timeframe that you are working with for ministerial meetings?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I think we are still trying to get one in before the end of this year.  And I think the Chinese have proposed some timeframes, and I hope to discuss that when I see them this afternoon.

QUESTION:  Is the disabling team arriving here today?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  You’ve got to check with the Embassy on that.  I think they are.  They must be arriving today, because they are leaving to DPRK tomorrow.

QUESTION:  You mentioned that there are a couple of remaining issues on disablement.  Are you confident that you can work through that on this meeting?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Yes.  Yes, I am. Whether it is in this meeting or once the team gets there, I think we have an understanding on what needs to be done.  So there are just some issues subject to technical matters.  We are not in the situation where we want to do more and they want to do less.  I think we are beyond that.

Okay, if you excuse me, I’ve got to prepare for my meeting.

QUESTION:  Any dinner plans with North Korea?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:   No, no lunch plans and no dinner plans.  So I guess it will just be noodles next door.  (Laughter)

QUESTION:  Your lunch is going to be at the North Korean Embassy?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  No, there is no lunch.  We are meeting them at 10 o’clock.  Then we break, and we’ll get a sandwich somewhere.  If necessary, we’ll have another meeting after lunch.  To my knowledge, there is no lunch set up.

Okay?

QUESTION:  Why did you meet with the DPRK again?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  I don’t think -- Oh, you mean this morning?  Why are we meeting them this morning?

QUESTION:  At the end of this month?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Well, look, I explained it.  The disabling team is going in tomorrow.  This is the beginning of what should be a very busy two-month period.  So I wanted to talk to him about where we stand.  I wanted to talk to our other partners and report back to Secretary Rice.  So I think it is an important time to get out here.  After this, I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but probably not till we get ready for a ministerial, which might not be till the end of the year.

QUESTION:  When do you expect to be back here [at the hotel]?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL:  Probably after I finish the final element of the day, which is briefing the Russian Ambassador.

Okay?  Thank you all.

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