South Korea, China, the United States and Russia have agreed to provide the North with 450,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and alternative energy aid equivalent to the value of another 500,000 tons.

In return the North promised to disable its main plants at Yongbyon and disclose all its nuclear programmes by the end of the year.

The three countries are expected to have detailed talks on the first shipment of alternative aid to be provided by China, the ministry said.

South Korea has already made a shipment of 5,100 tons of steel plates to the North, apparently for use in patching up its decrepit power stations.

The US-supervised disablement is making good progress. But the deadline for the declaration is almost certain to slip because the North has not yet explained a suspected highly enriched uranium weapons programme to US satisfaction.

Japan is also a member of the six-nation forum negotiating an end to the North's nuclear programmes. But it refuses to contribute any aid until a row over Japanese abducted to North Korea is settled.

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