Top nuclear negotiators from the United States and North Korea are expected to meet in New York in the next couple of weeks, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Monday.

"I would expect that Chris Hill, our assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs, would have a meeting at some point with his six-party talk counterpart, Mr. Kim Kye Gwan. I would expect that to happen in New York," McCormack said at a briefing.

Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's vice foreign minister, has been heading the North Korean delegation in the six-party talks.

Kim Kye Gwan is expected to arrive in San Francisco first for talks with private organizations, McCormack said.

McCormack added that the working group meeting between the two sides will also meet in New York as part of the six-party agreement that was signed earlier this month in Beijing.

The six-party talks ended in Beijing on Feb. 13 with a joint statement on the first step toward the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

Under the document, North Korea will shut down and seal the Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the reprocessing facility, and invite back IAEA personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring and verifications.

According to the document, the parties agreed to the provision of emergency energy assistance to the North Korea in the initial phase, and the assistance equivalent to 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil will commence within 60 days.

(Xinhua News Agency February 27, 2007)