N. Korea Agrees To Give Up Nuclear Program

N. Korea agrees to give up nuclear program
Joint statement calls for security, energy assurances

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapc...lks/index.html

Monday, September 19, 2005; Posted: 7:19 a.m. EDT (11:19 GMT)

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Nearly three years after ordering U.N. nuclear inspectors out of the country, North Korea Monday agreed to give up its entire nuclear program, including weapons, a joint statement from six-party nuclear arms talks in Beijing said.

"This is the most important result since the six-party talks started more than two years ago," said Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, Beijing's envoy, in a report from The Associated Press.

In exchange, the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea have "stated their willingness" to provide energy assistance to North Korea, as well as promote economic cooperation.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) is committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning at an early date to the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons (NPT) and to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards," the statement said.

The World Food Program has said that North Korea is headed toward the worst humanitarian food crisis since the mid 1990s, when an estimated 1 million North Koreans died. WFP says 6.5 million North Koreans desperately need food aid. (U.N. Food aid to end)

Earlier Monday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said the talks were in their "endgame." (Full story)

The breakthrough agreement came on what was the seventh day of the fourth round of six-party talks.

A new round of talks has been scheduled for November. Chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill warned that the North Korean disarmament talks could still be a long process, according to a report from The Associated Press.

Prior to the deal, North Korea clung to its position of maintaining a civilian nuclear program, while Washington wanted Pyongyang to forego all nuclear programs.

The negotiations had been deadlocked over North Korea's demand that it keep the right to civilian nuclear programs after it disarms, according to an AP report.

While the joint statement has Pyongyang giving up nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, it also acknowledges that North Korea has stated that it has the the right to "peaceful uses of nuclear energy" and that the provision of a nuclear light-water reactor will be discussed at "an appropriate time." (Full statement)

The joint statement also includes a pledge that Pyongyang and Washington will "respect each other's sovereignty, exist peacefully together and take steps to normalize their relations" -- a considerable change in the tone in relations between the nations.

In his 2002 State of the Union Address, U.S. President George Bush called North Korea, Iran and Iraq an "axis of evil" that is "arming to threaten the peace of the world." As recently as July, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called North Korea one of six "outposts of tyranny."

In Monday's statement, "the United States affirmed that is has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons," fulfilling North Korea's desire for a security pledge from the United States.

In a rare interview with CNN in the North Korean capital last month, North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Kwan said Pyongyang wanted to pursue a peaceful nuclear program and was willing to adopt "strict supervision" of its nuclear facilities.

Pyongyang ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors out of the country in December 2002, and pulled out of the NPT the following month.

"If someone is concerned with regard to our possible nuclear activities which could lead up to the manufacture of nuclear weapons out of the operations of a light-water nuclear reactor, then we can leave the operations under strict supervision," Kim said, offering to allow the United States a role in monitoring. (Full story)

"We would like to pursue peaceful nuclear energy power generation and this is a quite urgent issue that faces our nation," he said.

"And this is a very appropriate policy in light of the economic situation of our country. That is why we cannot make a concession in this field."