Chris Hill Meets with North Koreans

ABC News’ Kirit Radia reports: U.S. Six-Party Talks envoy Chris Hill is scrambling to ink a deal to verify North Korea’s declared nuclear capability.

Hill met in Singapore today with his North Korean counterpart to put the verification terms on paper, though it appears that won’t happen before Monday’s six-party talks meeting in China.

But wait, wasn’t verification agreed upon two months ago? Yes and no.

Hill thought he had the deal done when he visited Pyongyang in October. But sources say he never got the specific terms of verification in writing.

Now there are signs of unraveling as the North Koreans are refusing to comply with verification measures the United States insisted they would be allowed to do. For example, North Korea won’t let experts remove samples from its nuclear facilities, something US officials told reporters at an October press conference they would be able to do.

Adding to Hill’s troubles, Japan (not to mention many of Hill’s American colleagues), is angry and feels mislead about the nature of the agreement with the North Koreans.

Hill was hoping to get this done before Monday, but it looks like he’ll have to hammer out the details then.

The incoming Obama administration will no doubt inherit the North Korea talks, but it is unclear whether Chris Hill will be along for the ride. One source said other names are being considered to take over Hill’s role as envoy.