Six-way talks on N Korea under way

Talks on disarming North Korea aim to lay out a roadmap for disabling the country's nuclear programmes, the US envoy said today.

Head North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan waits before the start of the six-party talks with Korea yesterday. Image: Getty Images.

Under an accord reached in February, North Korea must disable its atomic facilities and make a complete declaration of all its nuclear programmes.

In return, the impoverished communist state, formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), will receive a massive injection of fuel aid.

"The DPRK has agreed to some steps and I think we've looked at what they've agreed to and, frankly, we'd like more and they'd like less and let's see what we end up with," US negotiator Christopher Hill said.

He said the six countries at the Beijing talks - the United States, the two Koreas, Japan, Russia and China - would study a draft text today that would set targets up to the end of the year for the disablement of the North's nuclear programmes.

But he added: "We don't have an agreement on what constitutes disabling yet", suggesting a lot of ground remained to be covered between the two main protagonists in the negotiating session, which is scheduled to end on Sunday.

South Korean envoy Chun Young-woo said the differences were not insurmountable. "There are some differences regarding North Korea's level of disablement and declaration from the level that other countries expect, but I think it will not be impossible to overcome these differences," he said.

Russian envoy Alexander Losyukovon said the parties might hold discussions on passing a "conclusive document" tomorrow or Sunday.

North Korea shut down and sealed its Soviet-era Yongbyon nuclear plant and allowed UN atomic energy monitors back to the site in July, its first steps in seeing through the breakthrough February 13th deal.

In return, Pyongyang has received shiploads of heavy fuel oil and held long-sought bilateral talks with the United States that could bring the fortress state out of diplomatic isolation.