North Korea Invites UN Inspectors to Discuss Reactor Shutdown

Via aljazeera.net -

North Korea has invited UN inspectors to discuss the shutdown of its nuclear reactor, saying that a financial dispute with the US, which blocked a disarmament deal, is in its "final phase".

Ri Je Son, North Korea's atomic energy chief, asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), about shutdown procedures, a state news agency reported.

The agency said: "A working-level delegation of the IAEA has been invited to visit North Korea as it is confirmed that the process of de-freezing the funds of the DPRK at the Banco Delta Asia (BDA) in Macau has reached its final phase."

Ri asked the IAEA to discuss verifying and monitoring "the suspension of the operations" of Yongbyon under the February 13 six-nation agreement, which included the US, China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, and South Korea.

Yongbyon is thought to be North Korea's only operating reactor.

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I am sure this is directly related to the 20 million dollars of North Korean funds that were unfrozen by the US and transferred to NK accounts in Russia early this week.