U.S. envoy says international North Korea nuke talks make no progress

International talks resumed Thursday on ending North Korea’s nuclear programs, a day after the North snubbed a Chinese proposal outlining how monitors could verify its past atomic activities.

North Korea was refusing to allow outside inspectors to take samples from its main nuclear complex at Yongbyon – a crucial method of checking whether the country was truthful in its accounting of its nuclear programs.

The top U.S. negotiator, Christopher Hill, said North Korea was refusing to put any commitments on inspection into writing, making it impossible to move forward on an agreement.

“We’d like to see progress made on this verification agreement, and so far we haven’t seen it,” Hill told reporters at his hotel before leaving for new talks Thursday with chief envoys from North and South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.

“We’ve laid out our view on the verification protocol ... so it’s not for us to be bargaining with ourselves, it’s up to the North Koreans to do what they said they’ll do,” Hill said.

The talks are also looking at setting a schedule for delivery of the remaining fuel oil aid to the impoverished country and determining a timetable for disabling its nuclear facilities.