Deadlock over NKorean nuclear talks only 'procedural' - Chinese official |
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Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:52
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BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Procedural problems in the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program are more difficult than expected, but all sides remain committed to Pyongyang's disarmament, a Chinese official said.'The difficulties for resolving these issues exceed our expectations, so we still need some time,' foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists.'These are technical and procedural problems... all parties remain committed to the implementation of the joint statement of February 13.'Liu was referring to North Korea's agreement to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear power plant and allow in UN nuclear inspectors by April 15 in exchange for 50,000 tons of fuel oil.The deal outlined initial steps toward the eventual shutdown of North Korea's nuclear program, which is being negotiated in talks that include China, the two Koreas, the US, Japan and Russia.Liu refused to comment on a decision by North Korean chief delegate Kim Kye-Gwan to depart Beijing this afternoon.Kim left after a promised 25 mln usd of funds frozen by the US failed to appear in a North Korean bank account at the Bank of China.The US had earlier said it had worked to unfreeze the funds in a Macau bank.Liu admitted that part of the problem was that the Bank of China, a state-owned commercial bank, needed time to process the money transfer and overcome legal issues involved.'From a political perspective, the parties concerned have reached a consensus, but now the issue is technical and procedural,' Liu said.'All parties have their own reasonable concerns, including the Bank of China, so we have to consider all the concerns in accordance with the law.'afp
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Six-way talks on NKorea have failed -John Bolton 