No early end to N Korea nuke deadlock: S Korean FM
The deadlock in international efforts to scrap North Korea's nuclear programmes is likely to continue for the time being.
By Agencies |
SEOUL: The deadlock in international efforts to scrap North Korea's nuclear programmes is likely to continue for the time being, South Korea's foreign minister said on Monday.
Song Min-Soon said Seoul had consulted fellow negotiators on ways to resume six-nation talks.
"But it looks difficult to get a tangible result for the time being," he told reporters before a weekly cabinet meeting.
Under the current phase of the deal negotiated by the two Koreas, China, the US, Russia and Japan, Pyongyang was by December 31 supposed to disable its main atomic plants and give a full declaration of all nuclear programmes.
The North has said it submitted a list in November but the US says it failed to meet the deadline for a full declaration.
The communist state blames delays by negotiating partners in honouring their side of the deal -- especially the failure to start removing it from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism. The five parties were also to supply one million tons of fuel oil or equivalent energy aid, only a small part of which has been delivered.
Being taken off the US terror list would allow the North to access bilateral economic aid as well as loans from international financial institutions.
But Washington says it will not move on delisting until it gets a complete declaration. In particular, it wants Pyongyang to fully account for a suspected covert highly enriched uranium weapons programme.
Song Min-Soon said Seoul had consulted fellow negotiators on ways to resume six-nation talks.
"But it looks difficult to get a tangible result for the time being," he told reporters before a weekly cabinet meeting.
Under the current phase of the deal negotiated by the two Koreas, China, the US, Russia and Japan, Pyongyang was by December 31 supposed to disable its main atomic plants and give a full declaration of all nuclear programmes.
The North has said it submitted a list in November but the US says it failed to meet the deadline for a full declaration.
The communist state blames delays by negotiating partners in honouring their side of the deal -- especially the failure to start removing it from a US list of state sponsors of terrorism. The five parties were also to supply one million tons of fuel oil or equivalent energy aid, only a small part of which has been delivered.
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Being taken off the US terror list would allow the North to access bilateral economic aid as well as loans from international financial institutions.
But Washington says it will not move on delisting until it gets a complete declaration. In particular, it wants Pyongyang to fully account for a suspected covert highly enriched uranium weapons programme.
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