The Republic of Korea (ROK) will not provide energy assistance to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DRRK) unless it announces when to shut down its nuclear facilities, a top ROK negotiator said Wednesday afternoon.

Only when the DRRK makes clear the timetable on closing the Yongbyon nuclear facilities and accepts the personnel of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will the ROK provide heavy oil to it, said Chun Yung Woo, the ROK's top negotiator to the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Chun made the remarks after having lunch with chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill in a hotel.

According to a Feb. 13 deal, the DPRK shall shut down its nuclear facilities while the other parties shall provide emergency energy assistance to it and the shipment will commence within the next 60 days.

The six-party talks, grouping China, the United States, the DPRK, the ROK, Japan and Russia, on Wednesday remained stalled after a delegation heads' meeting, initially scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, was canceled because of the DPRK's refusal to attend the talks until its frozen funds at a Macao bank are transferred to its account at a Chinese bank in Beijing.

Chun said Wednesday morning that when to hold chief negotiators' meeting will be up to the DPRK reaction towards the settlement of its frozen funds issue.

The ROK envoy said the negotiation can only move forward until the technical problems of the frozen funds are completely settled. So far he didn't hear any development of the issue.

However, Chun said the talks will wrap up as scheduled on Wednesday.

The United States agreed to transfer the DPRK's 25 million U.S. dollars frozen at Macao-based Banco Delta Asia (BDA) to a DPRK account at the Bank of China in Beijing, paving the way for progress of the talks.

But the money has not reached the designated account yet, according to Chun.

The account held by the DPRK was frozen in 2005, after the U.S. Treasury Department, suspecting the BDA of helping the DPRK launder money, ordered American financial institutions to suspend business ties with the bank.

Rejecting the charge, the DPRK demanded the U.S. lift the financial sanctions before it could return to the six-party talks, which remained stalled for 13 months since the end of 2005.

Source: Xinhua