By Ben Blanchard
BEIJING (Reuters) - The U.S. delegate to talks aimed at the nuclear disarmament of North Korea said problems lay ahead as negotiators gathered on Wednesday to discuss rules about monitoring the reclusive state's nuclear activities.
North Korea, which tested a nuclear bomb in 2006, partly disabled its Yongbyon nuclear complex this year in a disarmament-for-aid deal, but the so-called six-party talks have failed to agree on a protocol to check the North's declaration of its nuclear activities.
Chief U.S. delegate Christopher Hill said all sides had to see what the reaction was to a draft text offered by China on Tuesday that outlined a way to verify nuclear information.
"I think the key thing is to figure out whether this is a draft that everyone can work on or not," Hill told reporters. "..."I'm not aware that there's anything that could be defined as no longer a problem."
Any progress at the negotiations in Beijing, which have stretched over the years with very little to show, would be a diplomatic trophy for outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush, weeks before President-elect Barack Obama takes office.
The talks bring together North and South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.
The negotiations were to last three days from Monday and Hill on Tuesday joked that reporters should not check out of hotel rooms yet. Analysts believe Pyongyang will tread water, waiting to test Obama's intentions.
The most contention has centred on the North's reluctance to allow international inspectors to take nuclear samples out of the country for testing.
Complicating the issue are sour relations between North and South Korea and a feud between Pyongyang and Tokyo over the kidnapping of Japanese nationals decades ago. The North has said it will not recognise Japan's role in the talks.
There is also mystery over the Communist state's leader, Kim Jong-il. U.S. and South Korean officials have said Kim suffered a stroke in August, raising questions about who was making decisions over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.
(Writing by Nick Macfie, Editing by Dean Yates)
