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N. Korea Set To Miss Year-End Nuclear Deadline
North Korea failed Monday to meet a year-end deadline to finish disabling its atomic plants and declare all its nuclear programmes, a key element in a six-nation disarmament accord.
The United States, Japan and South Korea expressed regret at the delay, which came amid a report that the communist state has slowed down the disabling work it began in November.
It was supposed to have completed the disablement and handed over the declaration by December 31 in return for one million tons of fuel oil or equivalent energy aid, and diplomatic benefits.
The disablement, financed and supervised by the US, had been expected to miss the deadline for technical reasons. But according to a report by Japan's Kyodo News, the North has also told the US it is reducing the shifts of workers carrying out the operation.
A Pyongyang official reportedly warned last week of a slowdown because of a delay in providing the promised energy aid.
The status of work on the declaration was unclear but some analysts predicted it will be delayed for months.
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AFP | December 31, 2007 08:39 AM