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North Korea hints at de-nuclearisation

P. S. Suryanarayana

Pyongyang invites IAEA inspectors

SINGAPORE: North Korea on Saturday signalled its willingness to engage the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about the possible "suspension" of operations at the Yongbyon complex.

Pyongyang's intriguingly worded announcement has been interpreted in Seoul, the listening post for matters concerning North Korea, as an invitation to the IAEA inspectors to monitor its commitment to shut down the Yongbyon facility as the first step towards de-nuclearisation.

North Korea's state news agency said Director General Ri Je-son of the General Department of Atomic Energy sent a letter to the IAEA on Saturday "regarding the discussion of the procedures of ... the suspension of the operation of nuclear facilities at Yongbyon under the February 13 agreement." The agreement on the "initial steps" towards de-nuclearisation was reached by six parties, including North Korea, the United States, and China as the proactive host.

Dispute resolved

Pyongyang's announcement follows its own acknowledgment that a core financial dispute with the U.S. was now almost resolved. The issue relates to the transfer of $ 25 millions, originally characterised by the U.S. as tainted funds, from a Macau bank to North Korea. The dispute, which has so far held up the implementation of the February 13 accord, is being resolved through a layered transfer of the amount through the U.S. and Russia.

By making an issue of the financial dispute, North Korea had once again sought to establish that the U.S. "climb-down over the `tainted money' affair" would show that the nuclear question was essentially a bilateral matter between them, according to diplomatic sources in Seoul. Pyongyang's announcement should also be seen against the mixed results of a recent visit to North Korea by the IAEA chief, the sources said.

Reuters reports:

North Korean funds that had been frozen in a Macau bank account will soon reach Pyongyang and that should spur inspections of the North's nuclear sites, U.S. envoy Christopher Hill said.

Speaking late on Friday in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator, Mr. Hill said the funds "would be in the North Korean account very soon''.

``I would expect [North Korea] to undertake their obligations as agreed in the February meeting,'' he said.

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