China says NKorea ready to shut down nuclear facility

BEIJING - China said Tuesday that North Korea was ready to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear facility and accept UN inspectors as part of the six-nation disarmament process.

"We found that the DPRK is ready to shut down and seal the facility in Yongbyon and accept the monitoring and supervision of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.

Liu did not give a specific timeframe but a six-nation accord signed last month commits North Korea to closing Yongbyon and allowing IAEA inspectors in by mid-April.

Agence France-Presse