DAR AL HARB - NORTH KOREA: MULTI-LATERAL TALKS CONCERNING NORTH KOREA'S NUKES BREAK DOWN

North Korean Nuclear Talks Break Down
By BO-MI LIM

BEIJING -- Talks on halting North Korea's nuclear program broke down abruptly on Thursday with the country's chief nuclear envoy flying home after a dispute over money frozen in a Macau bank could not be resolved.

Kim Kye Gwan flew out of Beijing after refusing to take part in six-party talks to push forward a February agreement calling for North Korea to begin winding down its nuclear programs in return for energy aid and political considerations.

Kim waved to reporters when he arrived at the airport but did not say anything.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry official said that members of all six parties to the talks had agreed to a recess. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said the decision was made after Kim left Beijing.

The breakdown raises doubts over whether it will be possible to meet a deadline set in the Feb. 13 denuclearization agreement that calls for U.N. inspectors to verify the closure of North Korea's main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon by April 14.

In Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe criticized North Korea for not being constructive."It's clear there is nothing for North Korea to gain from this kind of move," Abe said. "This kind of attitude is meaningless."

Abe said North Korea only will be accepted by the international society if it takes concrete steps toward complying with its commitment to dismantle its nuclear programs.

This round of talks has been dogged by troubles since it started on Monday, with Pyongyang refusing to take part for two days because of problems over the transfer of $25 million in North Korean funds frozen since 2005 at Banco Delta Asia in Macau under pressure from the United States.

Banco Delta Asia was blacklisted by Washington on suspicion the funds were connected to money-laundering or counterfeiting. The North boycotted the international nuclear talks for more than a year over the issue.

U.S. officials announced this week that the money would be transferred to the North Koreans, saying it was up to the Monetary Authority of Macau, a Chinese territory, to release the funds.

China had promised to resolve the issue as quickly as possible by transferring the funds to a North Korean account at the Bank of China.

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1) North Korean Nuclear Talks Break Down