Six-party talks one step away from reaching a deal: Hill

Negotiators at six-nation talks over North Korea's nuclear program may be only steps away from reaching a deal that would call on the communist nation to start denuclearizing, South Korean and U.S. envoys said Tuesday.

A South Korean negotiator, speaking anonymously, said the six sides have "virtually reached an agreement."

Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. delegate, said an agreement still needed final approval.

"Late this morning, the Chinese called a meeting of six-party head of delegations to distribute what they described as final text" of an agreement, Hill told reporters early Tuesday after day-long marathon negotiations.

The U.S. diplomat said the six countries will again meet later Tuesday to see if they can put a final seal on the much-needed progress.

The talks bogged down after North Korea demanded what others described as an "excessive" amount of energy aid in return for taking initial-phase steps toward disarming.

Hill refused to disclose what compromise has been reached, but said he was very pleased with what the Chinese have done with the proposed agreement, which reportedly outlines a specific timeline for the North's denuclearization process.

"I think we made a lot of progress," he said. "We feel it's an excellent draft, so I don't think we are the problem."

South Korean negotiators appeared most upbeat, saying the countries have "virtually reached an agreement."

"The chief negotiators finalized the wording of the joint statement," one official told reporters, asking not to be identified.

"They are expected to adopt the joint statement Tuesday morning after receiving instructions from their respective governments."

Hill also sounded positive, but said the deal still needed final approval.

"You know DPRK -- sometimes, you know, they want to make some points. They'll have things they need to get off their chest," Hill said, referring to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Qin Gang, a spokesman for the Chinese delegation, earlier said the countries have achieved "positive results, but we need more consultations and discussions to confirm the progress."

The North's initial demand for energy assistance has yet to be confirmed, but sources said the country has drastically lowered its demand.

Pyongyang has also agreed to stipulate in the proposed joint statement its intention to "shut down" its key nuclear-related facilities at Yongbyon, according to the sources.

In addition, the North agreed to specify a period of 60 days within which it will take the first steps towards the shutdown of the nuclear facilities, they noted.

In return, South Korea and the four other countries agreed to "equally share" the burden of energy aid for the North, a South Korean negotiator said, while speaking on condition of anonymity.

The nuclear talks began in 2003 after the latest dispute over North Korea's nuclear ambition erupted in late 2002.

North Korea agreed to denuclearize during a September 2005 round of the six-nation talks, in exchange for aid and security guarantees. But it conducted a nuclear test last October.

Beijing, Feb. 13 (Yonhap News)