N. Korea agrees to give up nuclear program
Joint statement calls for security, energy assurances
Monday, September 19, 2005; Posted: 3:58 a.m. EDT (07:58 GMT)
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Diplomats from the six-party talks mingle in Beijing on Monday.
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) 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)
[permaculture] PC Team needed in NK, Iran next: CNN.com - N. Korea agrees to give up nuclear program - Sep 19, 2005,
Lawrence F. London, Jr., 09/19/2005