Japan will provide energy aid to North Korea if substantial progress is made in getting Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear programme in talks next week, Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese government sources as saying on Saturday, reuters reported. The move would probably spark criticism from some Japanese politicians, who argue Tokyo should withhold aid until there is progress toward resolving a feud over Japanese citizens abducted by North Korean agents decades ago, Kyodo said. Senior delegates from the United States, South and North Korea, China, Japan and Russia will meet in Beijing from Tuesday for talks on a nuclear crisis that emerged in 2002 after Washington said Pyongyang had admitted to pursuing secretly a nuclear arms programme in violation of the 1994 agreement. The regional powers hope to persuade North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programmes in exchange for security guarantees and economic assistance. Kyodo quoted a top Japanese Foreign Ministry official as saying that Tokyo would raise the abduction issue -- an obstacle to normalising relations with Pyongyang -- at the talks. But the official added it would be difficult for Japan to oppose requests from Washington and Seoul to give aid to the North if progress was made over the nuclear issue, Kyodo said. -- SP 2325 Local Time 2025 GMT
