Bush approves $25m in N Korea aid

Friday, 28 September 2007

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.