International talks on North Korea's nuclear programme have been postponed, officials said today.
The talks to draw up a deadline for the country to disable its facilities had been expected to start around the middle of the week, but Japanese and South Korean officials said they would instead meet at a later date. No reason for the delay was given.
The six-nation talks - involving China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas - have dragged on for years and been beset by delays.
There has been some progress this year, however. North Korea closed down its sole operating nuclear reactor in July and had been displaying a willingness to take further steps in exchange for political and economic concessions.
Last week, nuclear experts from the United States, China and Russia visited the North's nuclear facilities to discuss technical details of disabling them, and they reportedly reached an agreement with Pyongyang on how to proceed.
AP