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WASHINGTON : A breakthrough in talks aimed at weaning North Korea from its nuclear ambitions will include one million tonnes of fuel oil plus electricity for the impoverished country, according to a US news report.
A major sticking point in the six-party talks held in Beijing had been North Korea's demand for two million tonnes of fuel oil and two million kilowatts of power before it would agree to shut down its nuclear program, ABC News reported.
However, a compromise has been reached as part of the package, at a million tonnes of fuel oil, the US broadcaster said, without mentioning a source.
The deal still needs final approval from the governments of each of the six nations involved -- host China, the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia -- and could yet fall apart, negotiators warned.
China has circulated a "final" joint statement outlining the first steps North Korea would take to end its nuclear drive and the economic rewards it would receive in return, said envoys meeting in Beijing.
The chief US negotiator, Christopher Hill, described the text as "excellent."
North Korea carried out its first atomic bomb test in October, triggering United Nations sanctions on the impoverished nation and breathing new urgency into the six-party forum.
- AFP
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