Remarks to Reporters at Okura Hotel

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: OK, how are you?

QUESTION: Who are you going to see today?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I do know I'm going to see Mr. Sasae -- I think we have a meeting, and then we'll see each other later on. I was mistaken about that yesterday; it was actually today. Then I think I have a courtesy call on the [Foreign] Minister, Minister Aso. And then I think I have several other meetings. But why don't you check with the Embassy on the precise program?

QUESTION: What are you going to discuss with Sasae?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I think we're both getting ready to go to Beijing. I think were both leaving tomorrow. So, as always, the U.S. and Japan need to work very closely through this process, and I think we're coming to a very important round of the Six-Party Talks. If it goes well, it will be the first round in which we began the process of implementation. So I think it's especially important that the U.S. and Japan be close together. And that's why I'm here after only two weeks. I sort of feel like I live here at the Okura Hotel now.

QUESTION: Is it true that the Japanese Government will not give any assistance for North Korea without progress on the abduction issue?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: Well, I think the Japanese Government has a real concern about the abduction issue. And I think everybody has a concern about the abduction issue, because as you look at the landscape of problems in Northeast Asia, you can see that there are some of these issues that have not been adequately addressed and resolved. So we certainly have a great deal of sympathy for the Japanese on this, and we do believe there ought to be a working mechanism between Japan and the North Koreans to deal with their outstanding issues. And obviously this is one. As you recall in the September 2005 statement, it was envisioned that in fact there would be this mechanism; so I hope that is something that can be set up. But I understand this is a very difficult issue for Japan.

QUESTION: Are you going to talk about energy support today?

ASSISTANT SECRETARY HILL: I’m not sure what will come up in Beijing, except we want to implement as much of the September 19 statement as we can. We will not implement the whole statement, but we hope to begin the process of implementing. And as you recall, in the September statement there is a reference to energy and economic assistance.

As North Korea has been making these nuclear weapons, they've also been impoverishing their country and creating enormous hardships for their people there, and certainly in this kind of cold weather we all do worry about the North Korean people. So we'll see how that comes up and whether that's one of the measures that we can look at implementation for.

OK? So see you all later.

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