Deadlock over North Korea’s nuclear weapons

ENVOYS to international talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme struggled yesterday to find a compromise as differences emerged over a Chinese proposal on how to begin disarmament.

Kenichiro Sasae, Japan’s top negotiator, said he felt there was no prospect of an agreement last night on the draft on how to implement a 2005 agreement that calls for Pyongyang to disarm in exchange for security guarantees and aid.

“There are some parts in which we had progress but in others we ran into difficulty,” Mr Sasae told the press after a day of meetings.