The United States said on Tuesday that it has agreed with other
parties to the six-party talks to give North Korea "a bit more
time" to fulfill its promise to shut its major nuclear
facility.
"I would say that we are being flexible. There is some delays in
the process and we're willing to give it a bit more time," State
Department spokesman Sean McCormack said of Pyongyang's missing the
deadline to shut its Yongbyon reactor.
"We haven't received any formal notification from North Koreans
that they are at this point taking steps to fulfill their
obligations under the Feb. 13 agreements: shutting down and sealing
the Yongbyon plant," he said.
The spokesman also declined to comment on reports that US spy
satellites on Monday spotted unusual movement of people and
vehicles around the cooling tower and parking lot at Yongbyon.
US and South Korean officials reportedly believed that the
unusual movement by North Korea has something to do with activities
to close down the Yongbyon reactor.
North Korea has insisted it will begin shutting nuclear facility
and readmit inspectors of the International Agency of Atomic Agency
once it has retrieved US$25 million in funds frozen in Macao's
Banco Delta Asia.
(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2007)
