Canberra will 'aid N Korea disarmament'

North Korea should be "open, honest and up front" about its nuclear program, and allow United Nations inspectors to return to the country, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.

North Korea had agreed to disable and dismantle key nuclear facilities and allow UN
atomic inspectors to return, in exchange for fuel aid and its removal from a US list
of terrorist states.
But Pyongyang announced last month it had halted plans to dismantle the facilities
in protest at Washington's refusal to drop it from the blacklist of countries
supporting terrorism.
Washington says North Korea must first accept strict outside verification of the
nuclear inventory that Pyongyang handed over in June.
US envoy Christopher Hill will travel to Pyongyang later this week to try to revive
flagging negotiations aimed at North Korea's nuclear disarmament.
Mr Smith said it was essential that North Korea honour the terms of an agreement
reached in the six-nation talks that also included South Korea, Russia, Japan, the
US and China.
"Well, so far as North Korea is concerned our very strong position is that North
Korea should be open, honest and up front about its nuclear program," Mr Smith said
on Tuesday.
"It should comply with the Security Council resolutions. And it should comply with
the verification measures requested by the International Atomic Energy Agency."
Mr Smith said the so-called group of six had been very active in seeking to bring
North Korea to account, and that Australia had been very supportive of those
actions.
He said he indicated to US Deputy Secretary of State Hill Australia's continuing
support for the group of six during his visit to New York last week.
"And we'll continue to give support to their activities through the international
community forums including the United Nations."
"So we support strongly the efforts that Deputy Secretary of State Hill and the
other group of six are engaging in trying to bring North Korea to account so far as
its nuclear program is concerned."