U.S. Relations With the People's Republic of China (2008)

U.S. Department of State

Remarks at a Press Stakeout

Christopher R. Hill, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Marriott Hotel
Lima, Peru
November 23, 2008

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: On the fuel, the South Koreans are working hard to identify other providers. We've been trying to work to identify other countries. Some have come forward; we need some more. What we would like to do as we go to the head of delegation meeting -- which the Chinese are working to announce, and we hope very soon -- we would at this head of delegation meeting, we hope, be able to identify all the remaining shipments that we need to make. In the context of doing that, we would also try to put together a schedule of those shipments. Again the South Koreans are in charge of that, and they're working very hard on it. And we would also work on the schedule for the disablement, so that disablement and shipments end at about the same time. So there's a lot of work to be done on that matter.

Prior to doing that, we would anticipate having additional bilateral meetings with all concerned. I'm going to be meeting with Mr. Saiki in Washington this week. We would expect to have another trilateral meeting with the South Koreans and the Japanese sometime soon and definitely before the Six-Party meeting. I would expect additional consultations with the other parties, including the North Koreans.

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QUESTION: Your Six-Party colleagues, or counterparts, have this understanding that you and the North Koreans have the understanding?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: We've shown them what we've done with them. And we've shown them how we think -- this overall issue of making sure there is no ambiguity. We've shown them how we feel that's going to be solved and how we talk to the North Koreans about solving it. But rather than speculating a lot, why don't you keep running and go to Beijing (laughter). And then we'll have the Six-Party meeting and then there'll be no need for speculation. You'll know whether we have it or not.

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