(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-03 19:13

TOKYO - A team of US technicians will on Monday start disabling North Korea's nuclear complex which makes weapons-grade plutonium, a senior US envoy said on Saturday, under a multinational disarmament deal.

US officials estimate the North has about 50 kg (110 lb) of plutonium. Proliferation experts say that is enough for six to eight bombs.

"They will begin the process of disabling the DPRK (North Korea) plutonium production facilities in Yongbyon," Christopher Hill, the top US envoy to six-way talks to end Pyongyang's nuclear arms program, told a news conference in Tokyo.

"They will be going to Yongbyon tomorrow, and by Monday they'll begin their work."

North Korea has agreed to fully disclose all its atomic activities by the end of the year, and Hill confirmed that during his visit in Tokyo.

"So by the end of the year ... we hope to have arrived at an important milestone where there is a complete disablement of the Yongbyon facilities," he said.

"Where there is a full list of additional facilities which also need to be disabled, and the uranium enrichment matter is also resolved to mutual satisfaction."

List of measures

Experts say that though the disablement steps are reversible, it would prevent North Korea from going back to producing any more plutonium for about a year.

The view was also echoed by Hill.

"We came up with a list of measures ... we believe, make sure even if today or even if on a certain day the North Koreans wanted to restart the plutonium - which by the way will be a very bad day for all of us - that it would take them well over a year to do that."

The North is required to provide a complete accounting of its fissile material and nuclear arms program by the end of this year under the deal it reached with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.