Asia-Pacific

    US, N. Korea resolve funds dispute

    (Agencies)
    Updated: 2007-03-19 16:32
    Large Medium Small

    Beijing - The United States and North Korea have resolved a dispute over $25 million in frozen North Korean funds, clearing the way for progress in dismantling the North's nuclear programs, US officials said Monday.

    US, N. Korea resolve funds dispute
    US envoy Christopher Hill (L) attends the opening of the sixth round of the six-party talks, in Beijing March 19, 2007.?[Reuters]
    US, N. Korea resolve funds dispute

    The US nuclear envoy, Christopher Hill, said six-party talks, which resumed Monday, could now "move on to the next problem, of which there are many."

    Special coverage:
    North Korea Nuclear Issue
    US, N. Korea resolve funds dispute
    Related readings:
    US, N. Korea resolve funds disputeUS, DPRK 'reach deal on frozen funds'
    US, N. Korea resolve funds disputeN.Korea plans to close nuke facility
    US, N. Korea resolve funds dispute
    N.Korea insists US unfreeze $25m
    US, N. Korea resolve funds disputeDispute over N.Korea funds may be over
    US, N. Korea resolve funds disputeNuke disarmament complex: IAEA
    US, N. Korea resolve funds disputeDPRK 'committed' to disarmament pact
    US Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser said the funds would be transferred into a North Korean account at the Bank of China in Beijing to be used for education and humanitarian purposes. Glaser said Pyongyang had proposed the arrangement.

    The funds, some of which US authorities?allegde may be linked to counterfeiting or money laundering by North Korea, had held up progress in nuclear disarmament talks.

    "North Korea has pledged ... that these funds will be used solely for the betterment of the North Korean people," Glaser said.

    "We believe this resolves the issue of the DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea)-related frozen funds," Glaser said.??

    The Feb. 13 disarmament agreement gave North Korea 60 days to shut down both its main reactor and a plutonium processing plant, and allow UN monitors to verify the closures.

    In return, North Korea is to receive energy and economic assistance and a start toward normalizing relations with the US and Japan.

    Chinese envoy Wu Dawei told delegates at the opening of the talks that their efforts so far had "created favorable conditions for us to implement our initial actions ... on schedule."

    He added the negotiations still faced "a lot of difficulties and obstacles," and called on representatives to "make joint efforts to overcome them." He didn't give specifics.

    This week's session will focus on reviewing the progress of five related working group meetings held during the past month, discussing specific steps necessary to meet the April 14 shut down deadline, and beginning to talk about what actions would come after it, Wu said.

    US, N. Korea resolve funds dispute
    North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan takes his seat before the opening of the sixth round of the six-party talks, in Beijing March 19, 2007.?[Reuters]
    US, N. Korea resolve funds dispute

    US allegations in 2002 that North Korea has a secret uranium enrichment program prompted the North to expel UN inspectors and eventually led to North Korea detonating its first nuclear device last year.

    The North Korean deposits have been frozen in Banco Delta Asia, or BDA, since Washington blacklisted the tiny, privately run Macao-based bank 19 months ago on suspicion the funds were connected to money-laundering or counterfeiting.

    Washington promised to settle the issue by mid-March as an inducement to North Korea to disarm.

    Hill said the resolution showed "the DPRK understood our concerns and are prepared to cooperate with us to ensure that this money is used appropriately."

    There was no immediate statement on the agreement from North Korea's top envoy, Kim Kye Gwan. Those attending Monday's talks said Kim reiterated earlier comments that North Korea would stop activities at its Yongbyon reactor once the funds were fully released.

    Other participants to the Beijing talks --?that also include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia?-- welcomed the breakthrough.

    "With the BDA issue resolved, there will be no big obstacle to implementing measures within the 60-day deadline that leads to North Korea's shutdown of nuclear facilities," said South Korean envoy Chun Yung-woo.

    Chun urged setting a date for a meeting of the six nations' foreign ministers to follow the mid-April shutdown as agreed last month, according to South Korean diplomats.

    Japanese envoy Kenichiro Sasae said the move allowed the talks to "move to the next step."

    Glaser said details on the timing and procedures for transferring the BDA funds into the Bank of China account held by North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank would be worked out between the North and regulators in Macao.

    He said the Treasury Department maintained its decision last week ordering US banks to sever ties with BDA because of inadequate financial controls.

    分享按鈕
    中文字幕天天躁日日躁狠狠躁免费| 一二三四社区在线中文视频| 中文字幕乱码人在线视频1区| 亚洲AV无码专区在线播放中文| 天堂√中文最新版在线下载| 十八禁无码免费网站| 中文字幕免费观看| 亚洲av无码成人精品区在线播放| 中文字幕无码精品亚洲资源网久久| 中中文字幕亚洲无线码| 久久久久亚洲av无码专区| 国产成年无码AV片在线韩国| 日本精品久久久中文字幕| 日韩精选无码| 无码中文字幕日韩专区| 无码区国产区在线播放| 精品人妻系列无码一区二区三区| 中文字幕亚洲免费无线观看日本 | 最近中文字幕高清中文字幕无| 国精品无码一区二区三区左线 | 亚洲国产精品无码一线岛国| 最新版天堂资源中文网| 亚洲欧美日韩中文字幕在线不卡| 亚洲精品无码AV中文字幕电影网站| 国产精品无码成人午夜电影| 亚洲精品无码MV在线观看| 久久精品aⅴ无码中文字字幕不卡| 69ZXX少妇内射无码| 无码国产午夜福利片在线观看| 精品无码国产自产在线观看水浒传 | 亚洲AV无码乱码在线观看| 国产成人无码一区二区三区| 亚洲精品无码永久中文字幕| 最新无码A∨在线观看| 最近中文字幕免费大全| 无码夫の前で人妻を侵犯| 最近高清中文在线字幕在线观看| 久久久无码精品亚洲日韩蜜臀浪潮 | 五月婷婷无码观看| 无码国内精品久久人妻麻豆按摩 | 无码毛片一区二区三区中文字幕|