North Korea threatens to slow nuclear disablement

North Korea yesterday threatened to slow disablement of its main nuclear plant after Washington said energy aid to the state had been suspended due to failed talks on verifying North Korea's operations.

The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea expressed regret North Korea had failed to agree to specific steps on verifying its nuclear activities at multilateral talks in Beijing this week.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said all five countries negotiating with North Korea - Japan, Russia, China, the United States and South Korea - had agreed that future fuel shipments would not go forward until there was progress on a so-called verification protocol with Pyongyang.

"This is an action-for-action process," McCormack told reporters in Washington. "Future fuel shipments aren't going to move forward without a verification regime. They (the North Koreans) understand that."

But Russia said there had been no agreement about suspending fuel shipments.

"The US State Department's recent statement surprised us," deputy foreign minister and Russian envoy to the six-party talks, Alexei Borodavkin, told RIA Novosti news agency.

He said the Russian delegation "had not agreed upon any joint arrangements with the United States about a delay or suspension of fuel oil shipments to North Korea as an offset against dismantling of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Centre".

North Korea's nuclear envoy Kim Kye-gwan was quoted by Kyodo news agency as telling reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would "probably adjust the pace of disablement at nuclear facilities if (the aid) is suspended".