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Koreas, China to meet on NKorea energy aid: officials
Seoul (AFP) Dec 23, 2007 The two Koreas and China will meet in North Korea this week to discuss providing energy aid to the communist nation under a six-nation nuclear disarmament deal, officials said. The three-day trilateral meeting opens in Pyongyang on Tuesday in a follow-up to the first round held in Shenyang last month, the South's foreign ministry said in a statement. Talks will focus on how to provide non-fuel aid, such as energy-related facilities and equipment, it said. In February, North Korea agreed to disable its plutonium-producing plants and declare all nuclear programmes by year's end in exchange for a million tonnes of fuel oil or equivalent energy aid. Seoul, which has led the working group on energy aid to North Korea, says the promised reward would be half in fuel oil and half in alternative forms. The announcement on aid talks followed news reports that the nuclear disarmament process had hit a snag with the North refusing to address its suspected highly enriched uranium weapons programme to US satisfaction. The Washington Post said Friday that minute traces of enriched uranium had been found on aluminium tubing from North Korea, alleging this appeared to hint at a secret nuclear programme. But North Koreans repeatedly denied having an uranium enrichment programme (UEP) at talks with Sung Kim, a top Korea expert from the US State Department, in Pyongyang last week, Yonhap news agency reported. Sung Kim returned to Seoul on Friday after a three-day trip aimed at reviewing work on disabling the North's key nuclear plants. He briefed South Korean officials on his visit, Yonhap said. "North Korea remains unchanged in its denial of the existence of a UEP programme. There have been few changes as far as the North's nuclear programme declaration is concerned," an unnamed source told Yonhap. Under the landmark February deal, China, South Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan take turns to provide the energy aid to North Korea. The North has already been receiving fuel oil since it shut down its main nuclear facilities at Yongbyon in July. Seoul shipped 5,010 tonnes of steel to North Korea earlier this month in a first batch of aid in alternative forms. China is to take the following turn, with its aid items to be decided at the Pyongyang meeting. Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Two Koreas in shoving match over disputed border
Panmunjom, Korea (AFP) Dec 13, 2007Military officers from North and South Korea engaged in a shoving match and a war of words Thursday over their disputed sea border, on the second day of talks dominated by the thorny issue. |
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