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SKorea says energy aid to NKorea to continue
Seoul (AFP) Dec 15, 2008 Nations negotiating nuclear disarmament with North Korea will continue providing energy aid in coming weeks despite the failure of the latest round of multilateral talks, South Korea said Monday. Russia is pushing to provide 50,000 tons of fuel oil and China plans to deliver 99,000 tons by the end of January to complete their shares of the assistance, said foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young. His comments appeared to contradict the US State Department, which said Friday there would be no more shipments by the five negotiating countries until North Korea agreed to a written plan to verify its nuclear disarmament. The five in February 2007 reached a deal offering the energy-starved North one million tons of fuel oil -- or energy aid of equivalent value -- in return for the disablement of its nuclear plants and a declaration of nuclear activities. The equivalent of about 600,000 tons has been provided so far. The six-nation talks in Beijing failed last week to reach agreement on ways to verify the North's declaration, with the US and others pressing for the right to take soil and air samples in the secretive communist state. North Korea refuses to allow this. "Future fuel shipments will not go forward absent a verification regime," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, following what he called an "understanding" among the US, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia. But Russia announced Saturday it would furnish its entire fuel aid quota. "We hope to complete shortly all of our quota of 200,000 tonnes" of fuel, deputy Russian foreign minister Alexei Borodavkin told Ria Novosti news agency, describing himself as "surprised" by Washington's stance. Moon said South Korea had 3,000 tons of steel plate ready for delivery to repair the North's power stations. "The timing for the delivery will be reviewed in consideration of various factors including the disablement," he said. He said South Korea, which chairs a working group on energy aid, would convene a meeting "at an appropriate date" to coordinate positions on the aid. South Korean officials said the US had already completed delivery of its share of the aid. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Bush: World must be 'firm and patient' on NKorea
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan (AFP) Dec 15, 2008US President George W. Bush said Monday that he hoped Washington's partners in North Korean nuclear disarmament talks will stay "firm and patient" with the secretive regime. |
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