The United States on Saturday welcomed a decision by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK) to invite a delegation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss the shutdown of its nuclear facilities.

"This is a good step," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said in Crawford, Texas, where President George W. Bush is spending the weekend at his ranch.

"Now we can hopefully continue on the path set out in the agreed February 13 framework that will lead to a nuclear free Korean peninsula," Stanzel said.

The DPRK invited IAEA inspectors to discuss shutdown of nuclear facilities after it confirmed that "the process of de-freezing the funds of the DPRK at the Banco Delta Asia (BDA) in Macao has reached its final phase."

The DPRK has insisted that its 25 million U.S. dollars frozen at the BDA be returned before closing the Yongbyon nuclear reactor and new negotiations are started.

Source: Xinhua