Six-party talks seek verifying mechanism

BEIJING, July 11 (UPI) -- Negotiators meeting in Beijing on North Korea's denuclearization Friday focused on a mechanism to verify the North's disclosure of its nuclear programs.

"We will begin our talks today with the topic of verification and a monitoring system, which we were not able to complete yesterday," South Korean envoy Kim Sook told reporters at a Beijing hotel, Kyodo news service reported.

The six-party talks among the United States, Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas to end Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions resumed Thursday in the Chinese capital after an absence of nine months. The talks came after the communist country submitted the long-due declaration of its nuclear assets.

Yonhap news agency, quoting an informed source, reported Friday North Korea has in fact agreed to allow the other five partners to begin verifying its declaration within a month.

"North Korea has agreed to the beginning of the process before the U.S. measure to remove it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism takes effect on Aug. 11," the report said.

The verification mechanism must include access to North Korea's nuclear facilities and additional documents on Pyongyang's nuclear programs, as well as interviews with experts, Kyodo said. A working group will then be set up to determine each party's specific tasks.

The China Daily quoted Chinese negotiator Wu Dawei as saying North Korea's recent positive steps show the talks were yielding results.