NK nuke reactors verdict delayed
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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The international consortium charged with building light-water reactors in North Korea has announced it will postpone a decision on whether to suspend the project until November 21.
The United States has called for the work to stop, saying the North Koreans have not lived up to their obligations under a 1994 agreement.
Under that agreement, North Korea would agree to freeze and ultimately dismantle its nuclear program. In return, the United States would finance and construct two light-water reactors and deliver heavy fuel oil until the completion of one of the reactors.
Discussions have been going on for months regarding the future of the light-water reactor projects -- currently about 30 percent complete.
One South Korean diplomat emphasized the decision being considered by the consortium is whether to suspend -- not terminate -- the project.
A U.S. official said, "The North Koreans have not lived up to their obligations and that is the bottom line."
After a two-day meeting in New York, the consortium, known as KEDO (the Korean Energy Development Organization), released a statement Tuesday saying its executive board members had decided to refer the issue to their capitals, with a decision no later than November 21.
The KEDO executive board consists of the United States, Japan and South Korea.
The United States and North Korea have been involved in a continuing dispute regarding Pyongyang's nuclear program.
The United States has demanded it be dismantled program immediately, but North Korea has said it would do so only if Washington agreed not to attack the North and resumed the humanitarian aid needed for North Korea's starving population.
North Korea recently told a visiting Chinese leader that it is prepared to hold a second round of six-party talks to discuss the impasse.
