Bush approves $25m in N Korea aid

[almaty 19]

The US, China, two Koreas, Japan and Russia are meeting in Beijing

US President George W Bush has authorised $25m (£13m) in fuel aid to North Korea under an agreement aimed at ending the country's nuclear programme.

Under a February deal, the US and other participants at the six-party talks agreed to provide North Korea with aid.

In return North Korea said it would shut down its main nuclear reactor - which it did in July - and eventually dismantle its entire nuclear programme.

Envoys are meeting in China to pin down details of the second part of the deal.

The announcement by the US followed the first day of negotiations in Beijing between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US.

'Meaningful disabling'

Heading into the talks on Thursday, Mr Hill told journalists that the idea was "to lay out a road map until the end of the year".

He said that North Korea had agreed to some measures but more work was needed.

"[North Korea] 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," he said.

There was no agreement on what constituted disabling yet, he said.

The South Korean negotiator, Chun Yung-woo, said that the differences were not insurmountable because the "political will" was there to reach an agreement.

North Korea tested its first nuclear device in October 2006.

[Pooky 3,786]

Do you think that the growing evidence of North Korean nuclear material in Syria, as dealt with by Israel, was a factor in bringing about a deal like this?

For all the deafening silence about what actually happened, which is now giving way to a slow drip feed of information, and the furore about how that information is getting out, it will be interesting to see what agreements, with Syria, with North Korea, come out of this affair. Forget Iran, they're not in the picture here and can't be linked in with any degree of confidence. But North Korea and their nuclear program could well be nearing an end. And Syria might well sit down at the same table as Israel in the not-too-distant future. Only the Israelis know exactly what happened, and they're content to say nothing, let no-one suffer the embarrassment of being exposed, and be quietly satisfied with the outcome.

Isn't is ironic that the less the press (of ALL colours) gets to hear of, and twist, something like this, the more that comes from it?

Freedom of information be damned - keep shtum and make deals behind closed doors!

P

[almaty 19]

good point bro pooky...i had not thought on those lines