By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter
The six-party talks, aimed at resolving North Korea's nuclear program, are likely to resume as early as next week in Beijing, according to sources.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said that the nuclear talks ``could take place as soon as next week'' in an interview with Russia's ITAR-TASS news agency, Wednesday.
Losyukov, the chief Russian negotiator to the six-party talks, said no date has yet been set for the resumption of talks by the two Koreas, the United States, China and Russia, but said it will be made soon.
However, he made it clear that he is against North Korea's opposition to Japan's participation to the talks.
The remark came hours after a report by Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency in which the Stalinist country claimed Japan's participation would be a factor creating instability.
``On the whole, raising the question of excluding anyone from participating has not helped achieve progress in discussions,'' Losyukov was quoted as saying.
Another source in Seoul also echoed his view on when the meeting should continue and stated it will likely be held around July 14 in Beijing.
``Once North Korea stops the operation of nuclear facilities in Yongbyon, the halt will be considered the beginning of the shutdown of nuclear facilities,'' the source said. ``Then, necessary action will be taken (by the parties concerned).''
North Korea will receive 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil in return for shutting down its nuclear complex in Yongbyon under the agreement made by the parties involved in February. But implementation was delayed beyond the April deadline.
The Unification Ministry said that 6,200 tons of heavy fuel oil will be shipped to North Korea beginning next week as part of the promised 50,000 tons of oil.
An additional 950,000 tons of heavy oil or equivalent aid will be provided to the North once it irreversibly disables the Yongbyon facility and discloses all its nuclear programs.
Chung Young-woo, chief South Korean negotiator to the six-party talks, left for Beijing on Thursday to discuss the resumption of the six-party talks with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog is expected to send its inspectors to North Korea, next Thursday, to monitor the shutdown process after a special board meeting on Monday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will approve the monitoring procedures during the meeting based on a report by its officials who visited the Yongbyon complex late last month.