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Russia hails result of North Korea talks - chief delegate

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Russia hails the results of six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear problem in Beijing, which ended in the adoption of a plan of initial steps on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament, the head of the Russian delegation said Tuesday.
BEIJING, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia hails the results of six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear problem in Beijing, which ended in the adoption of a plan of initial steps on Pyongyang's nuclear disarmament, the head of the Russian delegation said Tuesday.

The agreement was reached at the latest round of six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, which, along with the two Koreas, included the U.S., Japan, China and Russia.

Russia, the United States, South Korea and China will provide humanitarian aid to North Korea in return for its nuclear disarmament, a joint statement at the talks said.

"We may state that the work ended with the results which we expected," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said.

The negotiators also discussed Russia's plan to write off North Korea's debt to the former Soviet Union, estimated at over $8 billion, as a way of aiding the impoverished nation.

But Losyukov denied statements that Russia may write off the debt. The two countries agreed to hold a meeting of an intergovernmental commission on the issue in March.

North Korea has agreed to shut down its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon in return for international aid, while Russia, the U.S. China and South Korea said they would seek to involve Japan and the rest of the world community in helping the reclusive Communist state.

According to the agreement, North Korea will receive one million metric tons of fuel oil in energy aid after it opens up and disables all its nuclear installations.

The first 50,000 tons will be provided within 60 days of the shutdown of its five-megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Pyongyang.

Washington has pledged to strike North Korea off its list of countries sponsoring terrorism, and Losyukov confirmed the U.S. promise to resolve the problem of financial sanctions against North Korea by the next round of the talks in Beijing, scheduled for March 19.

In September 2005, Pyongyang promised to dismantle its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees. But the negotiations broke off later that year when Washington blocked the regime's $24 million account at a Macao bank over alleged counterfeiting and money laundering.

They did not resume until December 2006, two months after North Korea reported carrying out its first nuclear bomb test.

Talks resumed last Thursday in Beijing amid hopes for progress toward implementing a September 2005 agreement, in which Pyongyang committed itself to halting its nuclear activities in return for economic and security incentives.

In the month ahead of the next round, negotiators will set up five working groups to help the parties along the way toward implementing the September 2005 agreement.

Losyukov said Russia will lead a working group on security in Northeast Asia, while China will chair a group on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. The diplomat said South Korea will be in charge of issues of economic and energy aid to North Korea.

The remaining two groups will deal with North Korea's bilateral problems with the U.S. and Japan. These groups will be chaired on a bilateral basis.

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