Monday, June 18, 2007

North Korea plans to shut reactor in July: report

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea plans to seal its main nuclear reactor and source of weapons-grade plutonium in the second half of July, Russia's Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing an unidentified North Korean diplomatic source.

"To stop the reactor, it will take about a month according to our specialists," Interfax quoted the source as saying.

"So we are counting on sealing it (the reactor) in the second half of July, in accordance with the agreements reached at the six-party talks," the source said.

The report comes as North Korea said at the weekend it has invited U.N. nuclear inspectors into the country as part of a deal reached in February to shut down its Soviet-era Yongbyon reactor in exchange for aid.

The diplomatic source said the delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be present at the first stage of stopping the reactor.

"We plan to invite the experts of the IAEA a second time, when the reactor is fully sealed in order to convince them of that," the source was quoted as saying......

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