Officials from the two Koreas are meeting in the border city of Gaesong to discuss the delivery of 50-thousand tons of heavy fuel oil to the North in accordance with the six-way nuclear agreement of February 13th.

The sides plan to complete working-level talks Saturday on port procedures and the amount of heavy fuel oil to be delivered to each port.

An official at Seoul's Unification Ministry said that once the talks are completed, the two Koreas will begin procedures for shipment including the signing of contracts with oil refiners.

The official added that it will likely take about three weeks before the heavy oil actually arrives in North Korean ports.

On February 13th, countries participating in the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue agreed to provide the North with economic and energy assistance equivalent to one million tons of heavy fuel oil.

Under the agreement, Seoul is to provide the first 50-thousand tons of heavy fuel oil if Pyongyang implements the initial denuclearization steps.