US could remove N.Korea from terror blacklist

Seoul: North Korea and the United States are near a deal on verifying Pyongyang's claims about its nuclear programme which would prompt Washington to soon remove the state from its terrorism blacklist, South Korean media said on Friday.

The Washington Post reported on Thursday that the Bush administration looks set to provisionally remove the North from the State Department's terrorism blacklist, as early as Friday.

US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill on his visit to Pyongyang reached a fresh verification proposal there that the US administration has finished reviewing, a South Korean news report quoted government sources as saying.

"North Korea's resumption of nuclear disablement and US removal of North Korea from its state terrorism sponsors list can all happen this month," the Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted a key government official as saying.

The move is aimed at keeping the disarmament-for-aid deal North Korea struck with five regional powers from falling apart, it quoted sources familiar with the deal as saying.

The South Korean daily Dong-a Ilbo reported diplomatic sources as saying the North has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors into the secretive country for incremental checks.

South Korean officials declined to confirm the reports but said Washington and regional powers involved in the disarmament efforts are reviewing the results of Hill's visit to Pyongyang which could potentially lead to the end of the North's terrorism blacklisting.

The disarmament deal appeared to be in peril after Pyongyang, angry at not being removed from the terrorism list, vowed last month to rebuild the ageing nuclear plant.

But there were growing indications in Seoul and Washington this week a compromise may be in the works. South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told parliament on Tuesday both Pyongyang and Washington had been showing flexibility.

The reports come as North Korea deployed more than 10 missiles on its west coast for what appears to be an imminent launch and barred UN monitoring throughout its Yongbyon nuclear complex on Thursday.