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'Deal reached' at N Korea talks 'Deal reached' at N Korea talks
(about 5 hours later)
Delegates at the six-party North Korea talks have reached a tentative deal, the US nuclear negotiator has said. A tentative deal to curtail North Korea's nuclear programme has been reached at six-party talks in Beijing.
A "final text" outlining initial steps for disarming North Korea was now being referred to each government for approval, Christopher Hill said. US envoy Christopher Hill said intense negotiations had produced "an excellent draft" outlining various steps forward.
His comments followed late-night meetings on what was meant to be the last day of the talks in Beijing. The deal is thought to focus on promises of energy aid to North Korea, in return for it beginning to disarm.
If approved, a deal would be a significant step forward in a process stalled since September 2005. But the agreement still needs approval from each of the six nations involved, and Japan has already voiced doubts of it sticking.
There has been no comment from North Korea. Late-night deal
The BBC's Daniel Griffiths in Beijing says the deal has yet to be approved by the leaders of each country involved. The current round of six party talks - involving the US, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas - began on Thursday, with a renewed sense of optimism from all sides.
Even then it would only mark the first step in what is likely to be a very long, slow process with further delays almost inevitable, he says. But negotiations quickly faltered, with disagreements over the amount of energy aid the North was demanding in exchange for disarming.
The current round of talks - aimed at persuading Pyongyang to give up its nuclear programme - began on Thursday with a renewed sense of optimism from all sides. In a last-ditch attempt to reach agreement, delegates sat down for late-night discussions on Monday, and appear to have hammered out a deal.
But negotiations faltered over the amount of energy aid the North was demanding in exchange for disarming. Mr Hill said the tentative agreement had the support of the US government.
Reports suggest North Korea is seeking large-scale deliveries of heavy fuel oil in return for shutting down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. "Yes, we've approved it, to the best of my knowledge we've approved it," Mr Hill told the Associated Press.
'Final text' He added that the North Koreans had also seen the same text and, according to the Chinese, they "went over every word of it".
The late-night discussions were described by a Chinese spokesman as "extraordinarily intense". There has been no official comment from the North Koreans, but South Korea's envoy Chun Yung-woo said he believed the proposal would be acceptable to Pyongyang.
N KOREA NUCLEAR PROGRAMME Believed to have 'handful' of nuclear weaponsBut not thought to have any small enough to put in a missileCould try dropping from plane, though world watching closely class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6338941.stm">Food shortage is key class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4259176.stm">Text of September 2005 deal "I am looking forward to hearing good news today," he told reporters on Tuesday.
Mr Hill did not give any details of the potential deal, but said delegates had made a lot of progress. N KOREA NUCLEAR PROGRAMME Believed to have 'handful' of nuclear weaponsBut not thought to have any small enough to put in a missileCould try dropping from plane, though world watching closely class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6338941.stm">Food shortage is key class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4259176.stm">Text of September 2005 deal So far, delegates have given few details of what this agreement entails, but Reuters news agency quotes a source close to the talks as saying the North would be given 50,000 tonnes of energy aid in return for shutting down its nuclear facilities, and more for "disabling" them completely.
"The Chinese side distributed a final text which will be referred to the capitals of the delegations," he told journalists. The New York Times added that the deal called for Pyongyang to complete the "permanent disablement" of its Yongbyon nuclear facilities within 60 days.
"We will have another meeting tomorrow and we will see if we can get it approved." Mr Hill told reporters that a text of the agreement was now being referred to each government for approval.
Chinese and South Korean officials also indicated progress had been made and some key differences resolved at the meetings. But even if the deal is agreed by all six parties, it will only be the first step in the disarmament process.
Negotiators from the six participating countries - North Korea, South Korea, Japan, the US, China and Russia - will reconvene on Tuesday morning for further discussions. "This is only one phase of denuclearisation. We're not done," said Mr Hill.
Earlier in the day, Mr Hill had urged North Korea to stop stalling and accept a deal. One of the topics that looks set to be left for later discussion is the fate of any nuclear weapons the North already possesses.
"We have put everything on the table," he said. "They just need to make a decision." 'Wrong signal'
The stop-start six-nation negotiations have now been going on for more than three years, but little progress has been made. Even though the deal has yet to be officially agreed, criticism of it has already started.
John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations, said North Korea should not be rewarded with "massive shipments of heavy fuel oil" for only partially dismantling its nuclear arsenal.
"It sends exactly the wrong signal to would-be proliferators around the world," Mr Bolton told CNN.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso told Kyodo news agency: "Whether (the deal) actually goes ahead remains to be seen. We do not know whether it will go ahead, just because it has been signed."
But analysts say that, despite the difficulties ahead, any deal reached at this stage would be a significant step forward in a process which has now been going on for more than three years, with little reward.
The most recent deal, in September 2005, rapidly fell apart over differences between North Korea and the US over implementation.The most recent deal, in September 2005, rapidly fell apart over differences between North Korea and the US over implementation.
But the North Korean nuclear issue has become more pressing to the international community since Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test in October. The North Korean nuclear issue has become even more pressing in recent months, after Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test in October.