US starts talks with North Korea

GLOBAL AGENDA
March 05 – 11
WORLD

WHAT IT IS

THE US will begin landmark talks today to normalise ties with North Korea.

Chief US negotiator Christopher Hill will hold two days of discussions with North Korean envoy Kim Kae Gwan in New York to set in motion a Feb 13 nuclear pact reached by the six-party talks in China.

WHY IT MATTERS

The State Department has played down expectations for the talks, saying that it will not produce immediate results.

What is significant though, is that the two sides are talking. This represents an easing of tensions between the US and the Stalinist regime.