AUSTRIA: Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament and Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say outstanding issues on N.Korean nuclear disarmament.

Progress has been made towards answering suspicions North Korea tried to enrich uranium for atom bombs but the issue is "by no means" solved, Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament says after meeting Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told reporters after meeting Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament, that his organisation was verifying the process to disable Pyongyang nuclear weapons programme. ElBaradei said the six-party deal to dismantle the programme by the end of 2007 was moving in the right direction. He said he and Hill, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, had discussed their future role when The Democratic Republic of North Korea (DRNK) came back to the Non-Proliferation treaty (NPT). The Washington Post reported on Saturday (November 10) that North Korea was offering Washington evidence that it never intended to refine uranium for atomic bomb fuel parallel to its known production of plutonium for warheads. Quoting unnamed South Korean and U.S. officials, the paper said Pyongyang was granting U.S. experts access to equipment and documents in confidential talks to beef up its case that there was no clandestine enrichment effort. Hill said: "I can say we have made some progress but by no means have we solved the issue up to now." "We are continuing to work with them to resolve the matter. I don't think it's very helpful to get into details at this point. We are very much in the middle of a process," he said. He added: "But I think the DPRK understands very well, and this reflected in their statements at the denuclearisation working group, this matter must be resolved through mutual satisfaction. That is that we all need to be satisfied that this matter is behind us." The six-nation agreement requires North Korea to disable its three key nuclear plants by the end of 2007, provide a list of all nuclear arms activity, account for all its fissile material and answer U.S. suspicions of a clandestine enrichment drive. In exchange, the destitute Stalinist country will receive 1 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid and steps to end its international isolation.

ITN Source | November 14, 2007

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