A planned six-nation meeting in Beijing on North Korea's nuclear program was postponed as Pyongyang waits for the return of $25 million in assets.
North Korea has said it will not return to the talks until the money frozen in a Macau-based bank is safely back in its hands. The United States had frozen the funds, accusing North Korea of money-laundering.
U.S. envoy Christopher Hill said today the transfer is not a diplomatic but a banking issue. "The North Koreans made very clear, until they see their money in their bank account, they are not going to proceed with discussions in the six-party talks," Hill said.
Hill also said it was unclear when the talks will resume.
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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