North Korea nuclear fuel rods tough to extract: envoy

SEOUL-The removal of fuel rods from an ageing reactor at the heart of North Korea's nuclear arms program, an important step in a disarmament deal, will stretch into next year, South Korea's nuclear envoy said on Friday. North Korea agreed with regional powers to disable its Soviet-era reactor and other nuclear facilities by the end of this year in exchange for aid and an end to its international ostracism.
"A lot of preparation is needed to get the fuel out of there," Chun Yung-woo told reporters. "Technically, it is nearly impossible to finish before the end of the year."Experts said removing irradiated fuel rods from the plutonium-producing reactor would halt its operations and could pave the way for further decommissioning steps.U.S. and South Korean officials said other disablement steps have been going smoothly and the North has been cooperating.Regional powers want next to take apart the North's Yongbyon nuclear complex but say the disablement steps will put it out of the plutonium-producing business for at least one year.The North said in a report on its official KCNA news agency that it is adhering to the disarmament-for-aid deal it reached with South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan."The DPRK (North Korea) is honestly fulfilling its commitment to disable those facilities within the year according to the agreement reached at the six-party talks," KCNA said.U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill is scheduled to make his first visit Yongbyon next week. He will also press the North to meet another part of the deal, which is to give by the end of the year a full account of its nuclear arms activity.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071130/ts_nm/korea_north_nuclear_dc;_ylt=AtCH0fcH_ixHNeC8dtLMhc9Z.3QA

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