Lifting NKorea sanctions to take time: US official

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

Tokyo, March 2: Lifting sanctions against North Korea willtake time and require Pyongyang's compliance with a deal reached lastmonth leading to its nuclear disarmament, US Deputy Secretary of StateJohn Negroponte said today.

The landmark agreement, reached last month, requires the secretivecommunist state to shut down the reactor at the heart of its nuclearambitions and allow international inspections.

The accord also calls for concessions by the United States, withWashington saying it would resolve within 30 days a dispute over frozenNorth Korean bank accounts in Macau and consider removing Pyongyangfrom a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

North Korean envoy Kim Kye-gwan is due in Washington next week todiscuss normalising ties with the United States, also part of theFebruary 13 agreement.

''When it comes to such issues as lifting of sanctions ordelisting North Korea from the sponsors of terrorism list, those areissues that we have simply agreed to begin to discuss as part of theprocess that was launched by this initial actions agreement,''Negroponte told a news conference in Tokyo.

He added that the process would take time but did not give a specific timeframe.

''We think there are many other aspects of compliance with thisagreement that would have to have moved forward substantially beforeyou could expect significant movement on an issue such as removal ofsanctions or the delisting,'' he said.

The deal hammered out in Beijing by the two Koreas, the UnitedStates, Japan, Russia and China after nearly a week of talks is seen asonly the starting point for locating and dismantling North Korea'snuclear projects.

North Korea has said that improving ties with Japan and the UnitedStates was a key prerequisite to dismantling its nuclear armsprogramme, which it says was for self-defence.

North Korea had long refused to take part in six-party talks inprotest over frozen funds in a Macau bank, but a senior US Treasuryofficial said on Monday the department was ready to begin steps toresolve the dispute.

North Korea and Japan are also set to start talks in Hanoi next week on normalising ties.

Negroponte, making his first trip to Asia since taking up his postlast month, has met Japanese officials in Tokyo, including ForeignMinister Taro Aso. He next heads to China and South Korea.


Reuters

Related Stories

North, South Korea reach deal on family reunions
>

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X