The top US negotiator on North Korea's nuclear programme said today that it was becoming difficult for Pyongyang to meet a mid-April deadline to close a nuclear reactor, but Washington would not accept a partial shutdown.
Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill urged Pyongyang to take agreed steps towards denuclearisation regardless of a dispute over the transfer of frozen funds to North Korea.
"Clearly we are aiming for a complete fulfilment of the February agreement and we'd like to get it done by day 60," Mr Hill said, referring to a February 13th agreement that gave the North 60 days to shut its nuclear facilities in return for energy aid.
"But obviously that timeline is becoming difficult, but certainly there is no such thing as partial," added Hill, when asked if a partial shutdown of the reactor would be acceptable. Mr Hill met Japanese officials later today.
He goes on to South Korea and China for more talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. North Korea walked out of six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programme last month when the transfer of $25 million in funds held at Banco Delta Asia (BDA) in Macau failed to go through.
But Japan's top government spokesman said the fund dispute should not hold up implementation of the February agreement among the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia.
"The BDA issue is outside the framework of the six-party talks. They cannot make that an excuse not to abide by the 30- or the 60-day deadlines. We need to resume the six-party process," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told a news conference.