Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Search
Search:
NKorea nuke talks focus on verifying past activity
By KWANGTAE KIM,Associated Press Writer AP - 1 hour 17 minutes ago
BEIJING - Nuclear envoys spent Tuesday discussing how to break a deadlock on how to verify North Korea's account of its past atomic activities that has held up implementation of a disarmament-for-aid accord reached last year, a U.S. official said.
Verification is the focus of the international talks, which opened Monday in Beijing with North Korea refusing to let outside inspectors take samples _ a key method of ensuring that the communist regime is being truthful _ from its main nuclear complex at Yongbyon.
A draft agreement from host China on verification was given to teams from the five other countries involved in the talks _ Japan, North Korea, South Korea, the United States and Russia, with another day of talks set for Wednesday, said U.S. envoy Christopher Hill.
"We've taken the draft with great seriousness. We worked very hard ourselves today to make sure it encompasses what we need to do to get on with verification," Hill told reporters.
"We need a verification process that's clear and that does not leave ambiguity, and that's certainly, I think, is what the draft tries to address and what we tried to address in our comments," he said.
Hill would not say what was in the draft, but when asked if it included sections on sampling and visits as part of a verification process, he said: "It's fair to say yes without getting into any specifics."
The six-party talks have taken place in fits and starts since 2003. In 2006, North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test. In 2007, Pyongyang agreed to a disarmament-for-aid pact, but the disarmament process stalled in August amid a standoff with the U.S. over verification.
Hill earlier said besides deciding on specific standards by which to check if North Korea has told the truth about its past nuclear activities, the talks are also looking at setting a schedule for delivery of remaining fuel oil aid to the impoverished country, and determining a timetable for disabling its nuclear facilities.
North Korea submitted an inventory of its past activities in June. U.S. officials said North Korea agreed previously to allow experts to take samples and conduct forensic tests at all of its declared nuclear facilities and undeclared sites.
But Pyongyang says it agreed only to let nuclear inspectors visit its main atomic complex, view related documents and interview scientists _ and said it would not allow outside inspectors to take samples from the complex.
There were also a series of bilateral meetings Tuesday, Hill said, including U.S. meetings with South Korea, Japan and Russia.
All six parties have reached consensus on shipping all the promised economic aid to North Korea _ 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid in total _ by the end of March, South Korean envoy Kim Sook said. About half of the aid has been delivered so far.
The aid has been a sticking point in the negotiations. Japan has refused to send its share, saying Pyongyang first must address the kidnappings of more than a dozen Japanese citizens in the 1970s and '80s.
North Korea arrived at the talks vowing to ignore Japan. Its envoy, Kim Kye Gwan, said Monday that the parties should debate whether Japan is qualified to take part in the disarmament talks, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing an unnamed Japanese official.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Recommend this article
Average (0 votes)
Sign in to recommend this article »
Most Recommended Stories »
Related Articles: Asia Pacific
Russia cancels 70 percent of debt to CambodiaAP - 20 minutes ago
Krygyz rights groups slams pressure on mediaAP - 23 minutes ago
More mid—career professionals consider joining teaching forceChannel NewsAsia - 59 minutes ago
Rain threatens India-England cricket TestAFP - 1 hour 7 minutes ago
NKorea nuke talks focus on verifying past activityAP - 1 hour 17 minutes ago
Most Popular – Asia Pacific
Viewed
Financial crisis tipped to cut cost of air travel
Muslim pilgrims stone Satan at the hajj
Stocks take flight on prospects for anti-recession moves
Oil price falls below $40
Dow Chemical to cut 5,000 jobs, close 20 facilities
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular