Beijing - Envoys from six nations were trying to reach agreement on Saturday on a joint statement on North Korea's nuclear programme, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. 

The statement was expected to focus on a verification mechanism for North Korea's dismantlement of its main nuclear facilities, and compensatory energy aid to the impoverished nation, the agency quoted unidentified officials as saying. 

The envoys from North Korea, the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia had reached a "principled consensus" on the verification mechanism and the energy aid, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said late Friday. 

"The six parties achieved some progress on the verification mechanism, reaching a principled consensus," Qin said. 

"The specific consensus will be announced very soon," he said, adding that the six nations planned to issue a joint statement on Saturday. 

Yonhap said the consensus covered "three general principles" for verification through access to North Korean nuclear sites, documents and personnel. 

But the envoys still had differences over which facilities should be included in the verification mechanism, the agency said. 

Reports on Friday said North Korea had agreed to begin international verification of its plutonium inventory within one month. 

Three days of talks between the six nations began on Thursday, following a nine-month break in negotiations. 

North Korea submitted a long-delayed declaration of its nuclear activities in late June under a six-nation agreement. 

The day after handing over the declaration to China, North Korea destroyed a cooling tower at its Yongbyon plant in a move to show it would dismantle its controversial programme. 

US negotiator Christopher Hill said earlier that the United States hoped to set a timetable for concluding the second phase of the talks by the autumn. 

Under the second phase, North Korea must disable and dismantle its main nuclear facilities in return for energy aid from the other five parties, who require verification of Pyongyang's compliance. (dpa)