Chill in North Korean nuclear talks (nuclear test threat)

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/korea/article/0,2763,1247609,00.html

A threat by North Korea to test a nuclear weapon has chilled talks aimed at resolving a long-running dispute over the country's nuclear programme, US diplomats said today.

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Diplomats from China, Japan, Russia and South Korea have joined the two countries in the Chinese capital, Beijing, in an attempt to move the positions of Pyongyang and Washington closer together.

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A senior US official said the threat to test a nuclear weapon was made during a 2 1/2-hour private meeting yesterday between the US assistant secretary of state, James Kelly, and the North Korean vice foreign minister, Kim Gye Gwan.

The US believes North Korea has at least one or two nuclear weapons, with the potential for several more. Mr Kelly told Mr Kim there was little trust for North Korea in Washington and that his statements would not improve matters, the senior US official said.