USA's Bush Welcomes Six-Party Deal on North Korean Denuclearization

Oct 04, 05:43 AM

Current Headlines: Text of report in English by Japanese news agency Kyodo

Washington, Oct. 3 Kyodo - US President George W. Bush on Wednesday welcomed a six-way agreement on North Korea's denuclearization that was announced earlier in the day in Beijing.

Bush said in a statement, "I welcome the agreement announced today at the Six Party Talks in Beijing...Today's announcement maps out additional steps towards our ultimate goal of full and verifiable denuclearization."

The latest accord "reflects the common commitment of the participants in the Six Party Talks to realize a Korean Peninsula that is free of nuclear weapons," the statement said.

Bush also commended Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the top US nuclear negotiator, Christopher Hill, and the US negotiating team "for their hard work and dedication to this important effort, which will help secure the future peace and prosperity of the Northeast Asian region," it said.

Earlier Wednesday, China announced the deal committing North Korea to complete the disablement of its three key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon by the end of the year and to begin that process by accepting a US-led expert group within the next two weeks.

The joint document also reaffirmed a US commitment to begin the process of removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism as Pyongyang moves ahead with its obligations, but did not mention a date for that.

Delegates representing the six parties - North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia - had tentatively agreed on the document on Sunday, but decided at that time to unveil the deal after obtaining official approval from their capitals during a two-day recess.

The adopted document is intended to spell out the specific steps to be taken in the second phase of North Korea's denuclearization process under a February agreement.

The February deal says that in this stage, Pyongyang must disable its nuclear facilities and declare its nuclear programmes in exchange for aid equivalent to 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil.

That follows the first phase, in which North Korea shut down and sealed its key nuclear facilities at Yongbyon in July and allowed International Atomic Energy Agency inspections, in exchange for 50,000 tons of fuel oil.

Originally published by Kyodo News Service, Tokyo, in English 1722 3 Oct 07.

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