SEOUL (AFP) — China on Monday informed South Korea that six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear programmes, due to resume this week, have been postponed, officials said.
"The Chinese side has notified that the six-party talks will not open on September 19," a South Korean foreign ministry official told AFP.
The official said host China had not given a new start date for the talks, at which the six parties had hoped to set a firm deadline for the disabling of North Korea's nuclear facilities, in line with a deal reached in February.
Foreign ministry officials in Seoul would not explain the reason for the delay and how long the talks could be postponed for.
But South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted unidentified foreign ministry officials as saying the North appeared to be unhappy with the delayed shipment of heavy fuel oil from China.
"It appears the North's refusal is a simple protest against something it is not happy with, rather than to squeeze more out of the others," one official was quoted as saying.
Beijing promised to start providing 50,000 tons of oil before the end of August, but it has failed to do so, Yonhap said.
A Beijing-based diplomat, who asked not to be identified, told AFP: "One of the parties is dragging its feet."
"The Chinese side said it would continue consultations with other parties about schedules for the talks," which involve the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, the South Korean foreign ministry official told AFP.
In a landmark six-nation deal brokered in February, North Korea agreed to dismantle all of its nuclear facilities and programmes in exchange for diplomatic concessions and one million tons of oil or equivalent aid.
South Korea completed its oil shipment in July.
A US-led team of nuclear experts said Saturday they had held "very positive" talks with North Korean officials on a plan to disable the communist state's nuclear facilities during a trip to Pyongyang last week.
The team is scheduled to deliver a report at the six-nation talks -- which began in 2003 -- amid rising hopes for a breakthrough.
But recent US media reports that North Korea may be helping Syria build a nuclear weapons facility have sapped optimism. South Korea on Monday dismissed the reports, saying there was no concrete evidence.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday that Washington would have a "real problem" if Syria and North Korea are collaborating on a nuclear programme.
"If such an activity were taking place, it would be a matter of great concern because the president has put down a very strong marker with the North Koreans about further proliferation efforts and obviously any effort by the Syrians to pursue weapons of mass destruction would be a concern.
"I think it would be a real problem," Gates said.
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