Wednesday, August 08, 2007

North Korea expects "investment-based" international aid

North Korea expects to receive consumer goods and investment as international aid in exchange for denuclearization, the country's delegation said Tuesday at six-nation working group talks.

The working group at the South Korean village of Panmunjeom is expected to address details for the shipment and storage of 950,000 metric tons of heavy oil or equivalent aid to the North.

Seoul's Yonhap news agency quoted a South Korean delegate as saying: "We cannot reveal everything North Korea brought to the table this time, but we can say they did have ideas for what can be called consumption-based assistance and investment-based assistance."

Yonhap cited the negotiator as saying Pyongyang expected support for building or maintaining facilities that could help produce energy or sources of energy.

One of the other four working groups is expected to hold a meeting in China on August 13 to develop a plan for scrapping North Korea's nuclear program. The working group on peace and security in Northeast Asia will meet in Moscow on August 21.

[RIA Novosti, Russian press]

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