'Principles' agreed for North Korean verification

[Bloomberg, 11 July] The USA, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia have agreed on "principles" needed to verify North Korea's list of nuclear materials and programs, according to the chief US envoy, assistant secretary of state Christopher Hill. He said that officials will begin to determine the specifics of how, for example, to check the accuracy of documents submitted by North Korea, set up reactor site visits and conduct interviews with scientists. "Those are examples of the principles, but the key thing will be when the denuclearization working group meets to work out the actual protocol," Hill said. The six-nation talks aim to set a "road map" that will outline how North Korea will dismantle and abandon its nuclear weapons programs, in the third and final phase of the disarmament effort. The latest meetings, which began in Beijing yesterday, follow the recent declaration by North Korea of its nuclear activities and the demolition of the cooling tower at the Yongbyon nuclear weapons complex.