Tokyo - China has expressed a willingness to mediate in talks between North Korea and the United States on Pyongyang's nuclear programme, a Japanese media report said Friday.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told the Nikkei financial newspaper, "Maintaining the process is in the interest of each participant" of the six-party talks, which include Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, China and the United States.
Many analysts see a breakthrough in relations between the United States and North Korea as necessary for the resumption of the six-nation talks.
Washington - North Korea has taken a step toward further isolation by ending its cooperation with UN and US nuclear inspectors and requesting they leave the country, the US State Department said Wednesday.
Seoul, Apr. 15 : North Korea has asked IAEA inspectors to leave and said it will reactivate all its nuclear facilities.
Vienna - North Korea told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday to stop monitoring its nuclear facilities as the country wants to restart its nuclear programme, IAEA spokesman Marc Vidricaire said. "The inspectors have also been asked to leave the DPRK at the earliest possible time," Vidricaire said, referring to the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Washington - North Korea's decision to withdraw from the six-nation negotations on its nuclear programme and reconstitute its atomic activities is a "step in the wrong direction," the White House said Tuesday. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called on Pyongyang to live up to its agreement to abandon nuclear weapons after North Korea announced Tuesday it would no longer participate in the negotiations.
Vienna - North Korea informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday that it would stop all cooperation with the organization immediately, IAEA spokesman Marc Vidricaire said. IAEA inspectors are present in North Korea to monitor that the country's nuclear installations remain dismantled and turned off.
