S.Korea insists no food aid to North

South Korea insisted it would withhold food aid to the North until its communist neighbour starts dismantling its nuclear weapons program, forcing their high-level reconciliation talks to end Friday with no substantial agreement.

But the four days of Cabinet-level meetings in Seoul were salvaged from concluding in an outright breakdown, as the two sides managed at the last minute to issue a vaguely worded joint news release.

"Both sides agreed to further study issues aimed at promoting peace on the Korean peninsula as well as reconciliation and cooperation between the South and the North," it said.

South Korean media have voiced concern the no-aid decision could force the negotiations to end in bitter acrimony, yet again worsening the two Koreas' often-soured relations. The food aid had been considered to be a potential deal breaker in this week's talks, after the South decided to delay shipment of the agreed-upon rice provision until after Pyongyang moves on its promise made in international nuclear talks in February, to close its main nuclear reactor.

Last year, the North's delegation angrily pulled out of similar reconciliation talks after Seoul rebuffed its food aid request to protest Pyongyang's missile test-launches.

It was unclear why North Korea showed a softer-than-expected reaction this time.

Seoul had promised the rice would be delivered by late May. But the timetable was thrown into limbo after Pyongyang missed an April deadline to close the Yongbyon reactor and let in U.N. nuclear inspectors - part of a deal it made in exchange for energy and aid and political concessions.

"The North stressed that it is important to implement (the aid provision) as agreed in terms of confidence building and we felt the same," said the South's chief delegate, Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung.

"Nonetheless, we believe it is an absolutely imperative task now ... to carry out" the February nuclear accord "for the sake of coexistence and co-prosperity of the Korean people," he said.

South Korean officials have said they agreed to the aid, but made clear to Pyongyang its delivery would depend on progress in the North's nuclear disarmament.

Kwon Ho Ung, North Korea's chief delegate told reporters to "wait and see" when asked at the airport when the next round of talks would be held. He declined to answer other questions before he got on a North Korean plane headed to Pyongyang, according to a pool report.

President Roh Moo-hyun, in an interview with The Associated Press, said Seoul would continue using aid as leverage to press the North to disarm.

- AP