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Russia to send more fuel oil to N.K. by October: report
SEOUL, July 9 (Yonhap) -- Russia will deliver another 100,000 tons of fuel oil to North Korea by October as a reward for the country's shutdown of its nuclear power facilities, Itar-Tass news agency reported Wednesday, quoting a top Russian envoy to the six-party nuclear talks.
North Korea has been promised energy aid equivalent to a million tons of heavy fuel oil as part of economic and political rewards for declaring all its nuclear programs and disabling its main nuclear plants under a six-party deal on ending the North's nuclear activities.
"We've fulfilled our promises -- delivered 100,000 tons of fuel oil in two batches by the middle of the year," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin was quoted as telling journalists in Beijing Wednesday. "We are preparing to fulfil our obligations further and send another 100,000 tons by October," he said.
Six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear activities are set to resume in Beijing Thursday after North Korea's submission of a long-awaited list of its nuclear activities on June 26.
The official was also quoted as saying that some discrepancies over compensation to Pyongyang may come up during the new round of the talks.
Pyongyang shut down its Yongbyon reactor last July under the first phase of the six-party agreement signed in February 2007. It began disabling the plant under the supervision of U.S. inspectors in November.
North Korea has complained about the slow supply of fuel oil by the United States, China, Russia and South Korea since early this year.
On Friday, the North's foreign ministry spokesman claimed only 40 percent of the promised energy aid has been delivered to the country while the North has done 80 percent of the disablement work. He said North Korea cannot move onto the next phase of the nuclear disarmament process without full delivery of energy aid.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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