CHINA: The U.S. waits for North Korea to make a move as a denuclearisation deadline approaches

U.S. envoy to six-party talks Christopher Hill says he can't wait for North Korea forever as the isolated nation contemplates its next move. Pyongyang said it will not begin denuclearisation until it has its hands on 25 million USD worth of frozen funds. Washington says the North Korean assets have already been released. U.S. envoy to six-party talks Christopher Hill said on Friday (April 13) that it was time for North Korea to begin with shutting down its nuclear reactor. North Korea indicated earlier in the day it may be ready to move in a stand-off over frozen assets. Pyongyang insists 25 million USD worth of assets to be unblocked in a Macau bank account before shutting down the reactor - one day before the first deadline of an atomic disarmament deal. Under an international agreement struck in February, the secretive state has until Saturday (April 14) to start shutting down its Yongbyon reactor - the source of its weapons-grade plutonium. Hill said the assets were indeed unblocked, and the next step is for North Korea to start denuclearisation. "There was a statement issued today by the DPRK (North Korea) where it appears to refer to the need to confirm that the accounts are open. Well, I can confirm for them that the accounts are open. So I am not sure what the statement has in mind, except to say that I think it is time for them to get on with their denuclearisation obligations. And we are going to be in close contact with the Chinese and with the other six-party partners in the days ahead to consider the next steps," Hill told reporters in Beijing. Washington has said authorities in Macau have unblocked the North Korean funds at Banco Delta Asia (BDA), which was frozen for about 18 months due to suspected links to illicit activities. North Korean officials told a U.S. delegation visiting Pyongyang earlier this week it could move, within a day of receiving the funds, to invite international nuclear inspectors back into the country, who would oversee the shutdown. Hill said he would welcome the move. "Well, certainly they could place a call to the IAEA and invite them back to begin to do what they need to do in relation to the shutdown of the facilities. So, a phone call to the IAEA would be a good step," said Hill. But Hill also said he could not wait for North Korea forever. "I don't believe we can go on for another month. I don't want to put a date or hour, but a month is not in my constitution," said Hill, who will meet his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei (pron: woo dah way) on Saturday (April 14). The February deal was reached by the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States during six-party talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear arms programmes.

ITN Source | April 14, 2007

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