Remarks Upon Arrival for Working Groups and the Six-Party Meeting

Christopher R. Hill, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Arrival, Beijing Capital International Airport
Beijing, China
March 14, 2007

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Hi, how are you? Just here for the working groups and the Six-Party meeting. Looking forward to it. See you all later.

QUESTION: Are you meeting Mr. El Baradei?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I think I’m going to meet with Mr. El Baradei, I hope, tomorrow. It depends on when he gets back from Pyongyang.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I’m sorry, will I be?

QUESTION: (inaudible) Mr. El Baradei?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: No, not to my knowledge. I think he’s just coming through on his way back from Pyongyang, so it’s an opportunity…

QUESTION: What about yourself, will you be in that meeting?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I think I’ll be in the denuclearization working group, probably the Northeast Asian working group, and then the Six-Party meeting.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I don’t think so. I understood it was because Mr. Kim Gye gwan was busy with the Six Parties, and I think Mr. El Baradei had a lot of technical meetings. We’ll know better when we talk to Mr. El Baradei.

QUESTION: (inaudible)

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I think receiving Mr. El Baradei is obviously a good sign, but we have to hear what Mr. El Baradei has to say. We’ll see him tomorrow, and we’ll get a briefing from him. All right. So, talk to you later.

Released on March 14, 2007