The six countries in talks to end North Korea's nuclear weapons
programs yesterday agreed on specific disarming steps from
Pyongyang in return for aid.
Under the deal, North Korea will begin initial steps toward
denuclearization within 60 days of the announcement of the
agreement.
South Korea, China, the US and Russia but not Japan will provide
50,000 tons of fuel oil or an equivalent value of economic or
humanitarian aid in return.
North Korea will shut down its Yongbyon nuclear complex,
including its five megawatt reactor and its plutonium reprocessing
plant, within the 60 days and seal all facilities there.
It will also accept International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
inspectors back to the site within the 60 days.
These steps would ensure that North Korea's ability to produce
weapons-grade plutonium is disabled.
Path to denuclearization
North Korea will subsequently complete measures to "disable" its
nuclear programs and receive 950,000 tons of fuel oil, or the
equivalent value in the form of economic or humanitarian aid, from
the four countries.
The measures to disable the nuclear programs include:
l????????
North Korea providing a complete list of its nuclear programs,
including the inventory of its plutonium stockpile
l????????
North Korea disabling all its nuclear facilities, including its
graphite-moderated reactors and reprocessing facilities
The steps for now do not involve the provision of 2,000
megawatt-hours of electricity that South Korea pledged in a
September 2005 deal reached by the six countries. That is reserved
for after the completion of denuclearization in North Korea.
The electricity, at an estimated cost of US$8.55 billion over 10
years, would double North Korea's current output.
Improving ties
The US will initiate, under a separate bilateral forum, a
process to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of
terrorism within 60 days. The US will also begin the process of
removing trade sanctions.
With the completion of the initial steps, the foreign ministers
of the six countries will meet to assess the implementation of the
September 2005 deal and discuss security cooperation in Northeast
Asia.
The direct parties to the Korean War armistice will meet in a
separate forum to negotiate a permanent peace regime on the Korean
Peninsula.
The deal will also see five working-level groups set up to
further discuss issues of importance for the Korean Peninsula.
China will lead a group to discuss the peninsula's further
denuclearization.
Other groups will discuss the normalization of US-North Korea
relations, the normalization of Japan-North Korea relations,
economic and energy cooperation with North Korea -- a group to be
headed by South Korea, and establishing a mechanism for peace and
stability in Northeast Asia -- a group to be headed by Russia.
A new round of the six-party talks will be held on March 19.
(China Daily February 14, 2007)
