Report: NKorean, U.S. nuclear negotiators to meet in Geneva this week

The chief U.S. and North Korean nuclear negotiators will meet this week in Geneva to discuss Pyongyang's declaration of its nuclear activities, a news report said Tuesday.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan are expected to try to bridge differences on the substance of the declaration that Pyongyang was obliged to submit under a six-party deal, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed officials.

Officials at the U.S. Embassy in Japan said that they could not confirm the report.

The U.S., the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia have been trying to resolve a dispute over the six-party accord, under which the North promised to dismantle its nuclear program in exchange for energy aid.

The North says the aid is late in coming, while Washington says Pyongyang has not yet provided a promised detailed declaration of its nuclear programs - a condition for providing the aid. (****)