The following is a timeline of nuclear weapons development in North Korea:

1993
North Korea announces it will quit the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, later suspends its withdrawal.

1994
North Korea and the United States sign an agreement in Geneva. The North pledges to freeze - and eventually dismantle - its plutonium-based nuclear weapons programme in exchange for help building two power-producing nuclear reactors.

September 17, 1999
Bill Clinton, the US president, agrees to first major easing of economic sanctions against North Korea since the Korean War's end in 1953.

October 23-24, 2000
Madeleine Albright, the US secretary of state, visits Pyongyang, the highest-ranking US official ever to visit North Korea.

January 29, 2002
George Bush, the US president, labels North Korea, Iran and Iraq an "axis of evil."

October 4, 2002
North Korea tells visiting US delegation it has a uranium enrichment programme, Washington says.

November 11, 2002
US and Asian allies - Japan, South Korea - halt oil supplies to the North promised in the 1994 deal.

January 10, 2003
North Korea says it will withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

August 27-29, 2003
North Korea joins first round of six-nation talks, involving envoys from China, Japan, Russia, the US and South Korea.

February 25-28, 2004
Second round of six-nation talks.

June 23-26, 2004
Third round of six-nation talks.

February 10, 2005
North Korea announces it has nuclear weapons.

July 26, 2005
Fourth round of six-nation talks is held, ending in recess after 13 days with no agreement.

September 13, 2005
Six-nation talks resume.

September 15, 2005
US blacklists Macau-based bank for alleged counterfeiting and money-laundering by North Korea, leading the bank to freeze North Korean assets.

September 19, 2005
North Korea promises to dismantle nuclear programmes in exchange for pledges of energy assistance; US says it has no plans to invade, and will respect North's sovereignty in an agreement ending talks.

November 9-11, 2005
Fifth round of six-nation talks.

January 3, 2006
North Korea says it will not return to talks unless the US lifts financial restrictions imposed in 2005.

July 5, 2006
North Korea launches seven missiles - including a long-range model - into the Sea of Japan, drawing international condemnation and a UN Security Council resolution condemning the act.

October 9, 2006
North Korea says it has conducted its first-ever nuclear test.

October 14, 2006
UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution imposing wide-ranging economic and diplomatic sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear test.

December 18-22, 2006: Six nations envoys meet in wake of nuclear test, no breakthrough made.

January 16-18, 2007
US and North Korean envoys meet in Berlin.

February 8-13, 2007
Six-nation talks resume in Beijing, a tentative agreement on disarming Pyongyang is reached. The draft plan contains commitments on disarmament and energy aid along with "initial actions" to be taken by certain deadlines.

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