Your turn, Mr Kim

Unlike previous attempts to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons programmes, the agreement reached at the six-nation talks in Beijing on February 13 was admirably precise. The North Korean regime led by Kim Jong-il must now do everything it promised to do on that day.

The first action specified in the text obliged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to "shut down and seal for the purpose of eventual abandonment the Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the reprocessing facility, and invite back IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring". This and other steps, furthermore, were to be implemented within 60 days - that is, by April 14, or four days ago.

ADVERTISEMENT

Having toiled for months to reach this agreement, the governments involved - both Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia - have all been too sanguine about the missed deadline. Even Christopher Hill, the chief US negotiator, said the US was ready to hold on for "a few more days". Japan did at least describe North Korea's failure as "extremely regrettable", while China, South Korea and Russia were characteristically complaisant.

The explanation for this relaxed attitude is that the US was struggling to meet North Korean demands to release $25m funds frozen at Banco Delta Asia in Macau, a small bank with North Korean customers accused by the US of involvement in money-laundering.

Problems at Banco Delta Asia, however, do not absolve North Korea of its obligations, for at least two good reasons. First, there is no direct reference to the bank in the February 13 agreement, although the US did accept the need to resolve the issue before the inspection and dismantling of nuclear facilities could begin. Second, and most important, the problem has now been resolved. The US Treasury has authorised release of the money and cannot be blamed if the bank's North Korean customers have made no serious effort to retrieve their funds.

Mr Hill and the Bush administration have wisely resisted calls from US hardliners, including John Bolton, the former US ambassador to the UN, to take a confrontational stance against the North Koreans. Instead, by removing the financial obstacles to implementation of the deal Mr Hill and his colleagues have done everything possible to ensure that North Korea has no excuse to walk away.

These tactics deserve to work, and should be firmly supported by the three countries that have hitherto shown insufficient public commitment to the goal of ending North Korea's military nuclear ambitions: China, South Korea and Russia. The US approach may even be working already. Yesterday there were reports of activity at Yongbyon, interpreted as preparations for shutting down the reactor. So much the better, for the ball is now in North Korea's court.

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Editorial comment - Your turn, Mr Kim