The United States announced Friday that it would spend $25 million on 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil for North Korea as part of an agreement signed by the reclusive communist regime and other nations to close down Pyongyang's nuclear program. Under the February agreement, the United States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan agreed to provide Pyongyang with 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil, or the monetary equivalent in other aid and assistance. In return, North Korea agreed to shut down its main nuclear reactor, which it did in July, and then declare and ultimately dismantle all its nuclear programs. President George W. Bush signed the agreement Friday, after consulting with Congress last week, as the so-called six-party talks on disabling North Korea's nuclear program resumed in Beijing. Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. envoy to the talks, said the negotiations were entering an important phase. North Korea has described this round of negotiations as make-or-break. North Korea has met its commitments to date with respect to shutting down the Yongbyon facilities and allowing the International Atomic Energy Agency to do monitoring and verification work, said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House. The United States is now pressing for rapid implementation of the next phase of the agreement in which North Korea has agreed to provide a complete declaration of all its nuclear programs and disable all its existing nuclear facilities, the Associated Press reported.While all parties to the negotiations said they would provide, Japan has refused to contribute until Pyongyang fully accounts for the abductions of Japanese citizens by North Korea. Russia has said its contribution may be in the form of debt forgiveness.South Korea provided 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil in July. Earlier this month, China said it had delivered a shipment of oil to North Korea amid a series of efforts to keep talks on disabling North Korean nuclear programs on track.
