January 17, 1999
Web posted at: 6:49 p.m. EST (2349 GMT)

GENEVA (CNN) -- A weekend of negotiations between the United States and North Korea produced no breakthroughs in a standoff over U.S. access to a suspected nuclear weapons site inside the reclusive communist state.

The two sides, meeting in Geneva, adjourned Sunday, giving no details on the substance of the talks. But both sides have agreed to meet again next weekend for further discussions.

The United States wants access to a facility in Kumchang-ri that it suspects might be part of an effort to make nuclear weapons. Under a 1994 agreement, North Korea agreed to give up its military nuclear ambitions in return for oil shipments and U.S. help in building civilian nuclear energy reactors.

North Korean officials insist the site in question is not a nuclear weapons facility, but they have demanded that the United States pay $300 million in return for opening the facility up to inspectors. The North Koreans say that they will no longer be able to use the facility once it has been seen by outsiders.

The Clinton administration is under pressure from Congress to cut financial aid for the energy project in North Korea if it is unwilling to submit to inspections.

Although it has ruled out handing over any cash to North Korea, the Clinton administration has hinted that it might send more humanitarian aid to help ease acute food shortages and malnutrition among the country's 22 million people.

In addition to the bilateral negotiations on the nuclear issue, another round of talks begin Tuesday among four parties who have been trying to reach a larger accord on normalizing relations on the Korean peninsula. The four parties include North and South Korea, China and the United States.

Launched 13 months ago, the four-party negotiations are aimed at replacing the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War with a more permanent pact. So far, there has been just slow progress on procedural issues. This week's round of negotiations is scheduled to last four days.

The North Koreans recently have stepped up propaganda attacks on South Korea, the United States and Japan, claiming that these "imperialist" powers are trying to destroy it. Diplomats say the stronger tone coming out of Pyongyang could make progress harder to achieve in the four-party talks.

Reuters contributed to this report.