US proposes new arms checks for North Korea

TOKYO: The United States is preparing a new verification system in case North Korea agrees to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons programme, a Japanese newspaper said on Saturday. The new framework would involve the five permanent members of the UN Security council, as well as Japan, China and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the daily Asahi Shimbun said, citing senior US officials.

The new system could be used to help put pressure on North Korea at the next round of six-way talks, the paper said.

The US special envoy on North Korea, Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, said on Friday he was “very hopeful” that six-nation talks on dismantling the reclusive communist state’s nuclear programme could resume soon. —Reuters

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