BURT HERMAN
SEOUL
North Korea said it would welcome back UN nuclear inspectors within a day of receiving frozen funds that have been an obstacle in negotiations seeking the North's disarmament.
If North Korea keeps its promises, it would be the first moves the country has made to scale back its nuclear development since the start of the nuclear crisis in 2002.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, speaking after a visit to the communist nation, said the North had requested an extra 30 days from Saturday's deadline to shut down its main nuclear reactor under a February agreement.
However, he insisted the shutdown process would take only a "few days".
North Korea ejected UN nuclear inspectors in 2002. After years of talks beset by boycotts and delays, it conducted its first nuclear weapons test in October.
North Korea's funds in a Macau bank were made available late on Tuesday.-AP
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