Six-way working group on energy aid to N. Korea to meet in Beijing

Posted on : 2007-12-12 11:08 KST Modified on : 2007-12-12 11:08 KST

Working-level officials from six nations in talks over North Korea's nuclear ambitions were to meet in Beijing later Wednesday on the provision of economic and energy assistance promised to the communist nation in a multilateral deal, the Foreign Ministry said.

The working group talks, involving the two Koreas, the U.S.,

Japan, China and Russia, were last held in late October at the truce village of Panmunjeom inside the demilitarized zone dividing the two Koreas.

"This week's meeting is to discuss the provision of energy assistance to North Korea. The meeting will especially focus on assistance other than heavy fuel oil and who will provide what," Chun Yung-woo, South Korea's head delegate to the nuclear disarmament talks, said.

The meeting will be chaired by Lim Sung-nam, the deputy chief of the South Korean delegation to the six-nation negotiations.

In the October agreement, North Korea promised to disable its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and disclose all its nuclear programs by the end of the year. In return, the country will receive 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent assistance.

North Korea began disabling Yongbyon, the site of its sole operating nuclear reactor, early last month while China and the United States took turns providing 50,000 tons of heavy oil to the energy-starved North.

Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. envoy in the nuclear talks, last week said Russia has offered to ship the next batch of 50,000 tons. Seoul provided 50,000 tons earlier in the year to the North as a reward for shutting down the Yongbyon complex and two other nuclear facilities.

North Korea is expecting to receive 450,000 tons of heavy oil and the rest in equipment and technical and financial support for its power plants.

This week's talks will be held at the South Korean Embassy in the Chinese capital.



SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Yonhap)

Most viewed articles