North Korea nuclear talks may resume soon

TOKYO (Reuters) - Six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear programme could resume as early as next week as the United States expected a resolution of a row involving North Korean funds, Japan's foreign minister was quoted as saying.

North Korea had refused to implement the February 13 agreement to shut down its nuclear reactor unless it had access to about $25 million of its funds that had been frozen at a Macau Bank.

"The United States is confident that (the settlement of the issue) is near. I would not be surprised at all (if the six-party talks) resumed next week," Taro Aso told reporters in Sharm EL-Sheikh, Egypt, late on Friday, according to Japan's Kyodo news agency.

Under the February 13 agreement by the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, China and Russia, North Korea had 60 days to shut its nuclear facilities in return for energy aid.

But Pyongyang missed the deadline and insisted that it must first have access to millions of dollars in accounts at Macau's Banco Delta Asia that were frozen after the United States accused the bank of being involved in money laundering.

The chief U.S. negotiator to the six-party talks, Christopher Hill, on Friday stressed that the parties concerned should be patient with North Korea.

"The North Koreans have repeatedly signalled to us...that they are prepared to implement the February 13 agreement," Hill told a symposium in Washington on Friday, according to Kyodo.

"We need to show more patience," Hill was quoted as saying.

Pyongyang, which conducted its first nuclear test last October, has said it remains committed to implementing the February 13 denuclearisation agreement.