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N Korea 'to miss atomic deadline' N Korea misses nuclear deadline
(about 3 hours later)
Nations involved in North Korea's nuclear disablement programme have expressed disappointment that it looks set to miss a year-end deadline. North Korea has failed to meet a deadline to disclose details of its nuclear programme by the end of 2007.
Pyongyang had agreed to disable its Yongbyon reactor and provide a detailed declaration of all its nuclear activities by 31 December. Pyongyang had pledged to provide a detailed declaration of its nuclear activities by 31 December, but the US has confirmed it has not yet done so.
In return, it is due to recieve fuel aid and diplomatic concessions. South Korea, Japan and the US have all expressed disappointment at the North's failure to meet the deadline.
But neither the declaration nor the disablement are complete, which both the US and Japan say is "unfortunate". The agreement was part of a disarmament deal under which Pyongyang is to receive large amounts of aid.
The deadline was due to bring a close to the second part of the nuclear deal, which was agreed at six-party talks in February. The North agreed to the deal during six-party talks in February. The nations involved in the process are China, the US, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas.
The nations involved in the process are China, the US, Japan, Russia and North and South Korea.
International concernInternational concern
As the end-of-year deadline loomed, the US government urged Pyongyang to comply with its obligations to provide a complete declaration of its nuclear activities. The North began disabling Yongbyon in October, in a process overseen by US experts.
It is unfortunate that North Korea has not yet met its commitments Tom CaseyUS State Department class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2340405.stm">Q&A: N Korea nuclear deal class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2604437.stm">Timeline: Nuclear stand-off While the disablement has not been completed in time for the end-of-year deadline, analysts say the delay is mainly due to technical problems.
"It is unfortunate that North Korea has not yet met its commitments by providing a complete and correct declaration of its nuclear programmes and slowing down the process of disablement," state department spokesman Tom Casey said.
Japan's foreign ministry also described the lack of a declaration as "unfortunate", and said the North Koreans should provide one "at the earliest possible date".
South Korea's foreign ministry had a similar message for its Northern counterparts, urging them to "faithfully declare all nuclear programmes at an early date, and complete disablement steps without delay".
The disablement process at Yongbyon began in October, and is being overseen by US experts, but analysts say the North is expected to miss the deadline for technical reasons.
Of more concern is the delay in producing a written declaration of the North's nuclear activities - which analysts say is a key indicator of whether the North intends to stick to its promise to become nuclear-free.Of more concern is the delay in producing a written declaration of the North's nuclear activities - which analysts say is a key indicator of whether the North intends to stick to its promise to become nuclear-free.
As the deadline loomed, various nations expressed their disappointment at the lack of progress in this area.
There has been no last-minute change Tom CaseyUS State Department Q&A: N Korea nuclear dealTimeline: Nuclear stand-off
Japan's foreign ministry described the lack of a declaration as "unfortunate", and said the North Koreans should provide one "at the earliest possible date".
South Korea's foreign ministry had a similar message for its Northern counterparts, urging them to "faithfully declare all nuclear programmes at an early date, and complete disablement steps without delay".
As the deadline passed, US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said: "There has been no last-minute change... It's unfortunate but we are going to keep on working on this.
"I expect there will be some consultations on this over the next few days, among the parties, to see how we want to proceed from here."
The US particularly wants to know how much plutonium has been produced by North Korea, and also to see evidence that there is no secret programme for uranium enrichment for weapons purposes.The US particularly wants to know how much plutonium has been produced by North Korea, and also to see evidence that there is no secret programme for uranium enrichment for weapons purposes.
Earlier this month, US President George W Bush sent a personal letter to the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, urging him to honour its pledge at the six-party talks.Earlier this month, US President George W Bush sent a personal letter to the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, urging him to honour its pledge at the six-party talks.
The letter was delivered by US chief envoy Christopher Hill, who visited North Korea earlier this month to assess progress.The letter was delivered by US chief envoy Christopher Hill, who visited North Korea earlier this month to assess progress.
After visiting the facility, Mr Hill said the disablement activities were "going well and on schedule".After visiting the facility, Mr Hill said the disablement activities were "going well and on schedule".