$25 Mln Overshadows N Korea Nuclear Talks
Six-party talks to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program stalled on Tuesday as Pyongyang focused on receiving funds from its frozen bank accounts in Macau. North Korea said it will not resume negotiations until it has received the $25 million.
The chief U.S. negotiator, Christopher Hill, said in Beijing on Monday that the United States would soon unfreeze North Korea’s accounts in Delta Asia bank in Macau.
On Tuesday, North Korea pushed aside the agenda, demanding that the money reach the country before the nuclear talks resume. China urged North Korea to come forward, but it refused to, Japan’s chief negotiator, Kenichiro Sasae told reporters.
Christopher Hill underscored that the United States had done its bit to solve the bank impasse, and it was now up to Macau and Chinese authorities to usher the money to North Korea.
South Korea’s deputy chief envoy, Lim Sung-nam said the procedures for releasing the money could be completed by Wednesday morning. Talks are likely to resume once the money have reached North Korea, sources of Kommersant reported.
Meanwhile, the parties discussed on Monday steps that the United States, Russia, South Korea, Japan and China will take after Pyongyang shuts its nuclear reactor. As promised, North Korea will receive 50,000 tons of fuel and will be crossed out from America’s list of countries sponsoring terrorism. In addition, the negotiators voiced an idea to create a large storage of oil that the international community would be gradually replenishing in return for North Korea’s complete nuclear disarmament, which will ensure that Pyongyang does not go back on its words.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 21, 2007
|
