By Reuben Staines
Staff Reporter

Envoys from the United States, South Korea and North Korea were set to hold informal talks in New York on Tuesday in search of a solution to the protracted standoff over the North’s nuclear development programs, according to a foreign ministry official in Seoul.

The meeting was scheduled during a closed-door session of an international seminar on the nuclear issue hosted by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, a private think tank based in New York.

Participants included Ri Gun, deputy director-general of American affairs at North Korea’s Foreign Ministry; Joseph DeTrani, U.S. special envoy to North Korea; and Han Seung-joo, South Korea’s ambassador to Washington.

``A number of officials from both North Korea and the U.S., including Ri and DeTrani, came to attend the event,’’ Han confirmed during the seminar’s welcoming reception on Monday evening.

``Besides the official exchange of views in the seminar, I expect there will be a one-on-one meeting between Ri and myself on the sidelines,’’ he added.

It was unclear whether Ri, North Korea’s deputy chief delegate to the six-party talks, and DeTrani would also hold a bilateral meeting.

Lower-level representatives from Japan and China _ both participants in the six-nation forum _ are also attending the seminar.

A foreign ministry official in Seoul said he does not expect dramatic progress to be made through the informal discussions and it is unlikely that new proposals would be presented.

The main aim is to pave the way for the resumption of six-party talks in Beijing before the end of September as scheduled, he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

However, the official said the meeting is significant in that the two main antagonists in the nuclear dispute have a rare opportunity to talk face-to-face.

The meeting comes at a delicate time in the nuclear dismantlement negotiations as the United States is showing increasing signs of impatience with the North.

U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice over the weekend reiterated that Washington is considering all options to disrupt Pyongyang’s nuclear programs.

North Korea earlier rejected a U.S. offer tabled at the third round of six-party talks in June. The U.S. proposal gave Pyongyang three months to shut down and seal its nuclear weapons facilities in return for economic and diplomatic rewards and a security guarantee.

rjs@koreatimes.co.kr