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1st LD: IAEA approves mission to verify shutdown of DPRK's nuclear
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20:49, July 09, 2007 |
The International Nuclear Energy Agency (IAEA) Monday gave the go ahead for inspectors to go to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to verify the promised shutdown of its nuclear facilities.
The mission will begin immediately after Pyongyang receives the first batch of fuel oil, anticipated later this week, diplomats said.
The six parties could restart talks this week to discuss further arrangements, according to officials from the United States and Russia.
At the six-party talks in February, involving China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the DPRK and the U.S., Pyongyang pledged to shut down the Yongbyon reactor within 60 days in exchange for 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.
However, denuclearization was held up when the DPRK insisted that its 25 million U.S. dollars frozen at the Banco Delta Asia in Macao had to be returned before any nuclear facilities could be shut down.
An IAEA delegation visited Pyongyang in late June and reached a consensus with the DPRK on the verification procedure of the reactor shutdown after the frozen fund dispute between the U.S. and the DPRK was resolved.
This is the U.N. watchdog's first visit to the DPRK since late 2002, when the country expelled IAEA nuclear inspectors and later withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Source: Xinhua
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