U.S. envoy to meet with North Korean official

WASHINGTON (CNN) - An assistant U.S. secretary of state will meet with his North Korean counterpart when he travels to Beijing, China, next week, senior U.S. officials told CNN Friday.

Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill will meet with Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan as part of a trip connected to the six-party talks dealing with Pyongyang's nuclear program, the officials said.

Hill also will travel to Moscow, Russia, as he conducts regular consultations with his counterparts in the talks. The six parties are North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the United States.

The United States is waiting for a declaration of North Korea's nuclear history, which it is to provide as part of a deal hammered out in the talks.

–From CNN State Department Producer Elise Labott