North Korea's top nuclear negotiator was reportedly "too busy" yesterday to meet the head of the UN atomic watchdog, who was in Pyongyang seeking action on its government's nuclear pledges.
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), had been following up on a landmark deal agreed last month for North Korea to re-admit IAEA inspectors and start shutting down a key nuclear facility.
But ElBaradei was unable to meet Kim Kye-gwan, who was "too busy" preparing for the next round of six-nation negotiations on North Korea's nuclear programs, the Kyodo news agency cited IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming as saying.
He met another vice foreign minister but she declined to comment on the progress of his visit, the Japanese news agency said.
Asked if ElBaradei would meet Kim later, Fleming said: "I don't think so."
He was due to give a press conference in China, his next stop, later in the day.
ElBaradei was seeking the return of his agency's inspectors in line with the deal, which was agreed after the North tested an atomic bomb for the first time last October despite years of six-nation talks on its atomic programs.
Previous agreements have collapsed and South Korea's foreign minister said earlier yesterday that there were no signs that the North had started shutting down its Yongbyon nuclear plant -- another part of the Feb. 13 deal.
In exchange for shutting the Yongbyon reactor, the North would get a first tranche of badly needed fuel oil, with more to come later, as well as diplomatic concessions.
"There are no signs of any changes being made to the operational status of the Yongbyon facility," South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said.
North Korea kicked out IAEA inspectors in December 2002, then severed ties with the Vienna-based agency when it withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty designed to halt the spread of atomic weapons.
ElBaradei said before his trip that he would be seeking Pyongyang's return to the IAEA.
"I hope that we can agree with the DPRK [North Korea] to get our inspectors back in time to implement the agreement of the six-party talks," ElBaradei said on Monday during a stopover in Beijing.
North Korea would eventually receive the equivalent of 1 million tonnes of fuel aid if it completely disbanded its nuclear weapons program.
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