WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (Reuters) - The United States hopes that North Korea will keep its promise and declare all of its nuclear activities by the end of this year, Washington's envoy to nuclear talks on North Korea said on Wednesday.

"We are hopeful that we will have the complete declaration provided by around the year end," Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill told reporters on Capitol Hill.

He spoke after briefing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on U.S. diplomatic efforts with North Korea.

Under an agreement in six-party talks over North Korea's nuclear program, Pyongyang has pledged to disable its main nuclear complex and declare all of its nuclear activities in exchange for economic and diplomatic incentives.

Hill, who visited North Korea last week, said progress was being made on the disabling of North Korean nuclear facilities.

California Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chaired the closed hearing, was enthusiastic about the progress Hill described. "This is real," she told reporters.

She thought Congress would approve "reasonable sums of money" that are needed to support the process, including $106 million that Hill requested as the U.S. contribution to fuel oil that is being provided to North Korea as an incentive.

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