BEIJING (Reuters) - Nuclear disarmament negotiators gathered to discuss an agreement on rules about monitoring North Korea's nuclear activities in Beijing on Wednesday as six-party talks entered their third day.
North Korea partly disabled its Yongbyon nuclear facility this year in a disarmament-for-aid deal, but the talks have so far failed to agree on a protocol to check the North's declaration of nuclear activities and move disarmament forward.
Negotiators returned comments on a draft text offered by China on Tuesday that outlined a way to verify nuclear information. The state China Daily newspaper, quoting South Korean negotiator Kim Sook, said all sides had agreed to ship all promised economic aid to North Korea by the end of March.
Any progress at the negotiations in Beijing, which have stretched over the years with very little to show for them, would be a diplomatic trophy for outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush, weeks before President-elect Barack Obama takes office.
The talks bring together North and South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.
Complicating the issue are sour relations between North and South Korea and a feud between Pyongyang and Tokyo over the kidnapping of Japanese nationals decades ago. The North has said it will not recognise Japan's role in the talks.
(Writing by Lucy Hornby; Editing by Nick Macfie)
