NKorean nuke talks end without timetable for denuclearisation

BEIJING: The latest round of six-party talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear programmes ended here on Friday without setting a timeline for the declaration and disablement of Pyongyang's atomic assets.

Delegates attending the meeting could only work out a "general consensus" to reconvene in early September for another round of Six Party talks.

The five working groups established to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue would also meet by the end of August to discuss technical details concerning the disablement of the nuclear facilities of Pyongyang, a joint statement said.

Foreign ministers of the six countries will also get together as soon as possible after the next round of the talks, it said.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, Wu Dawei, also head of the Chinese delegation to the six-party talks, issued the chairman's statement concluding the talks.

The talks involving China, Japan, Russia, the US and the two Koreas were originally scheduled to end on Thursday but delegates extended it to Friday, hoping to fix a timeline for Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament.
     
North Korea shut down the Yongbyon complex on Saturday in the first phase of denuclearisation under the February agreement, in which it promised to declare and disable all of its nuclear programmes in return for economic and energy aid.

The chief delegates of the six nations reiterated that they will "earnestly fulfil their commitments" in the landmark September 2005 joint statement and the February 13 agreement brokered this year taken as a initial action to implement the 2005 statement, the statement said.

It says that North Korea, which surprised the world with a nuclear test in October last year, has reiterated that it will "earnestly implement its commitments to a complete declaration of all nuclear programmes and disablement of all existing nuclear facilities."

Economic, energy and humanitarian assistance up to the equivalent of 950,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil will be provided to North Korea in exchange for renouncing its nuclear programmes.

"All parties undertook to fulfill their respective obligations as listed in the joint statement and February agreement in line with the principle of "action for action", it said.

The meeting, held soon after North Korea announced shutting down its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, reviewed the work and progress since the first session of the sixth round of the talks, expressed satisfaction with the constructive efforts made by all parties.

For the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, normalisation of relations between the countries concerned and lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia, the Six Parties held candid and practical discussions, the statement said.

Christopher Hill, the top US nuclear envoy, said earlier that he wanted to come up with "sort of a work plan" that would guide the communist nation through disablement of the Yongbyon facilities before the end of the year.