North Korea refused to attend a session of six-party talks on dismantling its nuclear programmes on Tuesday while it awaits the return of $25-million in frozen assets, diplomats said.
The refusal meant negotiators at the talks in Beijing were unable to make the progress they had wanted, but a South Korean diplomat insisted the problem would soon be resolved.
“According to the chairman, China, North Korea says they will not come to the gathering until they confirm the transfer of the money,” Japan’s top nuclear negotiator, Kenichiro Sasae, told journalists in Beijing.
“In conclusion, there was no progress today [Tuesday].”
Chinese foreign ministry officials also confirmed that the plenary session scheduled for Tuesday afternoon had been postponed, but they refused to give the reasons.
The US Treasury had announced on Monday that about $25-million in North Korean funds frozen in a Macau bank could be released, although no timeframe was given.
The announcement, ending a dispute that had held up the disarmament process, added an air of optimism as envoys met on Monday in Beijing for the latest round of talks.
Although North Korea welcomed the US decision, it had made clear it wanted the money safely back in its hands before going any further in the six-party process, according to a pro-Pyongyang newspaper in Japan.
“The DPRK [North Korea] insists that the issue will be fully resolved only when the release of frozen funds is confirmed,” the Chosun Sinbo said on its website on Tuesday.
A South Korean official involved in the six-nation talks said the chief envoys from North Korea and the United States met bilaterally on Tuesday, and that the money was expected to be delivered very soon.
“The issue is expected to be resolved tonight at the earliest or early tomorrow morning at the latest. We expect to have substantive discussions tomorrow,” the official told reporters.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had based his remarks on comments made by chief North Korean envoy Kim Kye-Gwan.
Authorities in Macau, where the money has been frozen since 2005, said on Monday they would release the money to a North Korean bank account in Beijing, but did not say when. – AFP