( Itar-Tass ) - A plenary meeting of six delegations in the Chinese capital opened a new round of talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear problem. Officials of China, Russia, the United States, North Korea, South Korea and Japan are to discuss initial steps on the dismantlement of Pyongyang's nuclear programs.
The diplomats are to hear reports on consultations held within the framework of working groups that were created in February this year. Then the sides reached an agreement on the formation of five committees for detailed examination of matters pertaining to the Korean Peninsula denuclearisation, normalisation of North Korea's relations with the United States and Japan, as well as provision of economic and energy aid to Pyongyang in exchange for its abandonment of nuclear research.
In the joint document adopted in February Pyongyang committed to stop the reactor in Yongbyon within 60 days under the IAEA control in exchange for 50,000 tonnes of oil fuel to be supplied in the country as compensation. Meanwhile, Washington pledged to lift financial restrictions from Banco Delta Asia in Macao (Aomen), where North Korea's accounts worth of 25 million US dollars were frozen.
The situation has remained unclear to the last moment with Banco Delta Asia in Macao where North Korean accounts had been blocked. Without the settlement of this issue, Pyongyang has been refusing to hold a dialogue on the details of shutting down of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) control.
However, judging by everything, the sides have managed to reach compromise. Ahead of the beginning of the new round of the six-sided talks, US Treasury Department's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Daniel Glaser announced unfreezing of North Korean funds in Delta Asia and their transfer to the Bank of China. Glaser said Monday unfrozen 25 million dollars would be transferred in a North Korean account at the Bank of China in Beijing. He noted that the funds would be used for humanitarian purposes.