North Korea says to shut reactor when funds in hand

Seoul, June 23: North Korea said today it would begin implementing a disarmament deal as soon as it recovers funds long frozen in Macau in first comments since it hosted a rare visit by the chief US nuclear envoy.

The North's Foreign Ministry spokesman also said its top nuclear negotiator discussed with US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill the idea of holding the next round of six-party nuclear talks in early July.

''Regarding the implementation of the Feb. 13 agreement, both sides shared the view that it would begin once the issue of funds transfer is complete,'' the North's KCNA news agency quoted the spokesman as saying.

''Both sides agreed to review the possibility of holding a chief delegates' meeting of the six parties in early July and a six-way foreign ministers' meeting during the Asean Regional Forum in early August in the Philippines,'' he said.

Hill said Washington expected the North to shut down within three weeks the reactor which produces its weapons-grade plutonium.

South and North Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China agreed on Feb. 13 that Pyongyang would begin shutting down its atomic weapons programme in return for energy aid.

Implementation of that deal was held up over the North's demand that it first recover million in funds frozen at Washington's behest in Macau's Banco Delta Asia.

The funds were recently released, and yesterday a Russian government source was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying the cash would be transferred to a North Korean account on Russian soil on Monday.

Reuters

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