A Japanese daily says the chief U.S. negotiator to the six-party talks, Christopher Hill, is unlikely to visit North Korea before the fifth round of the meeting opens early next month.

The Yomiuri Shimbun on Wednesday said Washington believes bilateral talks with Pyongyang are inappropriate because the North is not cooperating in dismantling its nuclear program despite the joint agreement reached in the last round of talks.

The report said the United States had considered sending Hill to Pyongyang for direct negotiations to ensure success in the fifth round of the talks, but canceled out of fear that the North could make new demands.

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