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Why reopen North Korea nuclear talks now?
 The next round of six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes will be held on December 8 in China, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.
The talks will take place after North Korea said it would cut off much of the traffic across the heavily armed border with its wealthy neighbour in anger at the hardline policies of Seoul's new conservative leader.
Below are some questions and answers on what North Korea stands to gain and why regional powers will be holding the talks in the closing weeks of US President George W Bush's term.
* What's on the agenda?
The six parties will seek a deal on how to inspect and verify the North's declarations about its nuclear programme and its steps in disabling the Soviet-era Yongbyon complex, which has produced enough arms-grade plutonium for six to eight bombs.
The discussions will allow South Korea, Japan, Russia and China to approve formally the agreement reached between the North and the United States in October on verification, under which inspectors will have access to all declared nuclear sites.
Formally, the talks are also meant to begin discussions on the next phase - steps on permanently dismantling the North's nuclear programme in return for more economic incentives.
* Why now?
North Korea feels it can win concessions from Bush as he seeks a diplomatic legacy, analysts say.
North Korea's removal from a terrorism blacklist in October despite criticism by Japan and some US Congressional Republicans was part of Washington's bid to revive the faltering steps to implement the deal first struck in 2005.
Pyongyang has since resumed disabling its nuclear facilities, only to slow it down again this month, complaining that the other parties have been slow in shipping promised energy aid.
* What does North Korea stand to gain?
North Korea has tried to gain additional aid on top of the 1 million tonnes of heavy fuel oil or other material of equivalent value in return for disabling its nuclear facilities and making a disclosure of its nuclear inventory.
Analysts and some officials have said the North will probably seek additional rewards for any inspection of its nuclear facilities that it considers intrusive.
If talks about future steps drag on, the North can hold off on disarmament steps and retain negotiating leverage.
* What's the ultimate goal?
The final goal of the broad accord reached in September 2005 is for the North to dismantle all its nuclear programmes and weapons and receive energy aid in return, including a proliferation-resistant nuclear reactor.
The deal also envisions permanent peace among North and South Korea, the United States and Pyongyang's latest enemy, Japan.
Implementing all the steps could take years, analysts say. It took almost a decade for a 1994 disarmament-for-aid deal between the United States and North Korea to collapse. - Reuters
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