CHRONOLOGY: Rocky path of North Korea nuclear deal

(Reuters) - North Korea has broken U.N. nuclear watchdog seals on its Soviet-era atomic complex designed to make arms-grade plutonium, diplomats said on Wednesday. The North had frozen and started to take apart its Yongbyon nuclear complex as part of a disarmament-for-aid deal it reached with five regional powers. The following is a brief chronology of how the tide turned on implementing the nuclear deal: June 26 - North Korea presents a long-delayed list of its nuclear arms programs. Under the deal with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States it was supposed to provide the declaration at the end of 2007. Analysts see problems because the declaration does not address North Korea's nuclear weaponry or U.S. suspicions of Pyongyang having a secret uranium enrichment program for weapons and helping Syria with a suspected nuclear reactor project. North Korea also reports that it has produced less plutonium than U.S. officials had estimated. - United States says it will start 45-day process to take the North off its terrorism blacklist and remove trade sanctions. June 27 - North Korea topples the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear reactor. June 30 - First part of pledged 500,000 tonnes of U.S. food aid to North Korea arrives. July 4 - North Korea says it has fulfilled obligations under nuclear deal and calls on others to live up to their end. July 8 - New round of six-party talks open in Beijing. Envoys seeks ways to verify claims made in nuclear list. July 23 - Foreign ministers from six countries in nuclear deal hold first meeting during regional forum in Singapore. Aug 11 - United States says it will not take North Korea off terrorism blacklist. Bush administration later says it will wait until an adequate verification protocol is reached. Aug 18 - North Korean expresses anger at not being removed from the list, accuses Washington of "sinister intentions." - United States and South Korean forces start joint military drills, further angering North Korea, which says exercises threaten nuclear deal and undermine its trust in Washington. Aug 20 - North Korea says it saw as "unjust" calls for Pyongyang to verify claims it made in the declaration. Aug 26 - North Korea says it would stop disabling Yongbyon and accused the United States of violating nuclear deal. Sept 3 - U.S. and South Korean officials say North Korea has taken initial steps to restart Yongbyon, a process experts say could take a year or more. Sept 19 - North Korea says it does not wish to be taken off U.S. terrorism blacklist and it has started to restore Yongbyon. Sept 22 - North Korea asks International Atomic Energy Agency to remove seals and cameras in place at Yongbyon. (Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Valerie Lee) ʘ