Report: N Korea willing to give up nuclear programme for food aid

Dec 17, 2011, 16:05 GMT

Seoul - Communist North Korea has signalled its willingness to break off its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for food aid from the United States, South Korean media reported Saturday.

The two sides 'reached the agreement based on North Korea's pledge to implement initial measures of denuclearization that include a suspension of its uranium enrichment programme,' reported the Yonhap news agency, citing an unnamed official.

Enriched uranium is used to fuel nuclear power plants, but is also a key component for building nuclear weapons. A long-standing goal of the US and other regional powers has been to see Pyongyang give up its enrichment programme.

The deal would involve the delivery of 240,000 tons of food aid from the US to the country that is teetering on the brink of famine.

The outlines of the deal were apparently worked out between US and North Korean negotiators in Beijing Thursday and Friday, according to South Korean media.

Shutting down the enrichment programme is one of the requirements set by the US before it would consider a resumption of six-party talks with North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan about North Korea's nuclear programme.

The talks broke off more than two years ago, with North Korea refusing to sit down so long as preconditions existed.

North Korea has detonated nuclear bombs in tests, rattling the region, especially because its intentions remain opaque.

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