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North Korea to Halt Nuclear Reactor in Return for Oil
North Korea is ready to suspend its nuclear reactor in return for 500,000 tons of oil a year, the Reuters news agency quoted a Japanese daily on Sunday as saying. North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan set out Pyongyang’s position at a meeting with his U.S. counterpart Christopher Hill.
Kim Kye-gwan also demanded that Washington lift all financial sanctions against the country and remove North Korea from the list of terrorism-sponsoring nations.
The oil supply that North Korea is asking would exceed the energy assistance received by the communist state under a 1994 deal with Washington, which collapsed when the current nuclear crisis began in 2002.
South Korea media reported last week that North Korean officials had said their country would halt the operation of the largest nuclear reactor if it obtained financial and energy assistance.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the meeting with Assistant Secretary Hill that the parties had reached some agreement, but would not specify. Christopher Hill said he had not seen the reports on the oil aid but sounded very optimistic about the talks.
www.kommersant.com
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