No agreement at nuke talks

2005-07-31 16:56

Beijing - North Korea's demands for what it should receive in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons programme snarled talks on Sunday on a draft agreement at international disarmament negotiations.

Deputy leaders of the six delegations spent five hours discussing a Chinese-drafted proposal, a South Korean official said on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing talks.

But the negotiations ended their sixth day without an agreement and South Korea's main nuclear envoy said more consultations were planned for Monday.

South Korean deputy foreign minister Song Min-soon said talks on Sunday focused on "what corresponding measures other parties will take" in return for an agreement by the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

Concessions

The North has demanded concessions such as security guarantees and aid from Washington before it eliminates its weapons programme, while the United States wants to see the arms destroyed first.

The North has also insisted that it be allowed to run a peaceful nuclear power programme, something Washington objects to out of proliferation concerns.

No details of the draft agreement have been released, but a Japanese news report said it called for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programmes and other programmes that could potentially produce such arms.

The Japanese side is dissatisfied with the draft because it fails to include a mention of its citizens the North has admitted to kidnapping, Kyodo said.

Disarmament

The current round of disarmament talks with North Korea that began Tuesday in Beijing is the longest since they began in 2003. Three previous rounds each lasted about three days.

Meanwhile, South Korea said on Sunday it has agreed with the North to hold an opening ceremony in late October for railways and roads reconnected across the heavily fortified border dividing the peninsula.

- AP