BEIJING, Feb 13: The six countries in talks to end North Korea’s nuke programmes agreed on Tuesday on specific disarming steps from Pyongyang in return for aid.

According to diplomatic sources: North Korea will begin initial steps towards denuclearisation within 60 days of the announcement of the agreement. South Korea, China, the United States and Russia — but not Japan — will provide 50,000 tons of fuel oil or an equivalent value of economic or humanitarian aide in return.

North Korea will shut down its Yongbyon nuclear complex, including its five megawatt reactor and its plutonium reprocessing plant, within the 60 days and seal all facilities there.

It will also accept International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back to the site within the 60 days.

These steps would ensure that North Korea’s ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium is disabled. North Korea will subsequently complete measures to “disable” its nuclear programmes and receive 950,000 tons of fuel oil, or the equivalent value in the form of economic or humanitarian aid, from the four countries.

The 1 million tons of fuel cost around $300 million at current prices for Asian benchmark high-sulphur heavy fuel oil, which is used in power stations, shipping and elsewhere.

The measures to disable its nuclear programmes include:

— North Korea will provide a complete list of its nuclear programmes, including the inventory of its plutonium stockpile

— It will disable all its nuclear facilities, including its graphite-moderated reactors and reprocessing facilities.

The steps for now do not involve the provision of 2,000 megawatts of electricity that South Korea pledged in a September 2005 deal reached by the six countries. That is reserved for after the completion of denuclearisation of North Korea.

The electricity, at an estimated cost of $8.55 billion over 10 years, would be about equal to North Korea’s current output.

The United States will initiate, under a separate bilateral forum, a process to remove the North from its list of state sponsors of terrorism within 60 days.

The United States will also begin the process of removing trade sanctions against the North.With the completion of the initial steps, the foreign ministers of the six countries will meet to assess the implementation of the September 2005 deal and discuss security cooperation in Northeast Asia.

The direct parties to the Korean War armistice will meet in a separate forum to negotiate a permanent peace regime on the Korean peninsula.—Reuters