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North Korea talks mull China plan North Korea talks reach stalemate
(about 8 hours later)
Negotiators from six countries meeting in Beijing are discussing a Chinese draft proposal on ways to dismantle North Korea's nuclear programme. The United States says that talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programme have reached stalemate.
The parties are trying to break a deadlock over how to verify North Korea's account of its atomic activity. The US envoy to the talks, Christopher Hill, said the six nations involved had made no progress on how to verify North Korea's account of its atomic activity.
North Korea agreed last year to disable its plutonium-producing reactor and disclose its nuclear activities in return for fuel aid. Mr Hill was speaking after the third and last day in the current round of discussions in Beijing.
Progress in implementing the deal has been sporadic. However some reports suggested he could extend his stay in the Chinese capital to try to make some headway.
The six-party process, begun in 2003, groups North and South Korea with China, Japan, Russia and the United States. The Chinese had earlier circulated a draft agreement to address the verification issue, but this reportedly failed to win the approval of all sides.
Significant progress in the talks would be a rare diplomatic victory for US President George W Bush before he leaves office in January. Tough, long day
Many analysts say Pyongyang is unlikely to strike a deal before President-elect Barack Obama takes over the White House. In February 2007, North Korea agreed to disable its plutonium-producing reactor and disclose its nuclear activities in return for fuel aid.
Differing interpretations Discussions are focusing on how to verify North Korean disarmamentBut progress in implementing this deal has been plagued by delays, and the dispute over verification is the latest hold-up.
The Chinese proposal is said to include details on international inspections of the North's Yongbyon reactor that would provide samples of nuclear material that could be taken out of the country for testing. In October, the US finally removed the North from a terrorism blacklist, and in return North Korea agreed to provide full access to its nuclear programme.
"We need a verification process that's clear and that does not leave ambiguity, and that certainly, I think, is what the draft tries to address and what we tried to address in our comments," US envoy Christopher Hill said before Wednesday's talks began. The two sides now differ on the terms of verification that were agreed as part of the deal.
South Korean envoy Kim Sook said the wording of the Chinese draft needed to be fine-tuned.
Discussions are focusing on how to verify North Korean disarmament.
"We are making efforts to dispel misunderstandings brought by ambiguous expressions, and reach an agreement by replacing them with transparent ones," he said.
The current three days of talks were initially to have concluded on Wednesday, but the envoys said they could stretch longer.
In 2006, North Korea conducted an underground test of a nuclear device but in the following year agreed to nuclear disarmament in return for aid.
In October, the US removed the North from a terrorism blacklist as agreed under the 2007 deal.
In return, North Korea agreed to provide full access to its nuclear programme.
But the two sides now differ on what exactly was agreed under the terms of the deal.
North Korea insists it never said samples of atomic material could be taken away for examination, but the US asserts that the North did consent to the procedure.North Korea insists it never said samples of atomic material could be taken away for examination, but the US asserts that the North did consent to the procedure.
Mr Hill said on Wednesday that after a "tough, long day" of haggling over a way forward, the six parties involved did not achieve their goal.
Significant progress in the talks would be a diplomatic victory for US President George W Bush before he leaves office in January.
But many analysts say Pyongyang is unlikely to strike a deal before President-elect Barack Obama takes over the White House.
The six-party process, begun in 2003, groups North and South Korea with China, Japan, Russia and the United States.