U.N. inspectors will be leaving in the "next few days," the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday, after receiving a formal invitation from Pyongyang.
The IAEA's 35-nation board of governors had approved Monday sending inspectors back to North Korea for the first time since 2002 to verify the first steps by Pyongyang in dismantling its nuclear weapons program, a process that is expected to be long and difficult.
The inspectors could not leave until North Korea formally invited the IAEA to send them, and the invitation shows Pyongyang moving quickly at this point to meet its obligations.
The larger negotiating process is also proceeding. Six-nation talks on scrapping North Korea's nuclear program are likely to resume next week, South Korea said Tuesday. "The key thing here is not simply getting this first stage agreement completed but then continuing on with disabling and ultimately dismantling of the North Korean nuclear program," US State Department Tom Casey said in Washington.
(China Daily)