Informal talks between the U.S. and North Korea were held on March 31st at a private facility in Germany ahead of the North’s planned rocket launch in mid-April.

The civilian delegation from the U.S. which includes Thomas Pickering, former U.S. under secretary for political affairs and ambassador to the United Nations, met with a North Korean group led by Ri Gun, director general for North American affairs for North Korea’s foreign ministry. Christopher Hill, former six-party talks envoy, was also said to have participated in the meeting.

The two parties were said to have discussed North Korea’s rocket launch plan and exchanged opinions regarding the matter at a seminar on the outskirts of Berlin.

The discussions, which started in the early morning and ran until late in the afternoon, were focused on how Pyongyang’s launch plan was against the February agreement reached between the two countries.

The two parties will hold talks on another day in the same location.