North Korea’s top nuclear negotiator has snubbed the chief United Nations nuclear inspector by claiming he was too busy to meet him during the International Atomic Energy Agency’s first trip to Pyongyang since being thrown out of the country four years ago.
Kim Kye-Gwan, North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister, had been expected to meet Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA, to discuss how North Korea would comply with an agreement with five other countries to halt its nuclear ambitions.
North Korean officials said Kim was busy preparing for the six-party talks on the issue later this week.
Kim was the chief negotiator at talks last month when North Korea agreed to shut its Yongbyon reactor in return for aid and security guarantees.
ElBaradei was able to meet another Deputy Foreign Minister of the same rank, Kim Hyong-Jun.
The purpose of his visit was to assess North Korea’s progress in complying with the agreement between the two Koreas, China, the US, Japan and Russia. On arrival on Tuesday, ElBaradei said he was optimistic that North Korea would comply and said he was prepared to be patient.
The North has until mid-April to shut the reactor.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Song Min Soon, on Tuesday expressed concern about the slow progress on complying with the deal.
“At this moment, there is no sign of any change in the circumstances of the Yongbyon operations,” he said.
US Assistant Secretary of State, Christopher Hill, the top American nuclear negotiator, told reporters after arriving in Beijing that he did not know why the meeting was cancelled but said it was a good sign that North Korea had received ElBaradei.
Hill added that he was expecting to meet ElBaradei in Beijing tomorrow to discuss the visit to North Korea. – Guardian Unlimited Â