The Hindu : Front Page : N. Korea to end nuclear programme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 14, 2007
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N. Korea to end nuclear programme

Pallavi Aiyar

To get energy aid in return

Beijing: After six days of hard bargaining, the six-party talks here on North Korea's nuclear programme ended on Tuesday with an announcement that the country would dismantle its programme in exchange for security guarantees and energy aid.

China's chief negotiator Wu Dawei, in a televised ceremony, announced the agreement.

As per the accord, the United States, Russia, Japan, China and South Korea will provide North Korea with 50,000 tonnes of oil or its equivalent in economic aid, in return for Pyongyang agreeing to "shut down and seal" the Yongbyon nuclear reactor within 60 days and allowing nuclear inspectors back into the country.

North Korea will eventually receive another 9,50,000 tonnes in energy aid or its equivalent after it takes further steps towards nuclear disarmament, including providing a complete inventory of its stocks of plutonium.

"Successful ending"

Mr. Wu declared the deal a "successful ending" to this round of talks and announced that the next round would begin here on March 19.

Under the accord, North Korea and the U.S. will begin talks aimed at re-establishing diplomatic relations.

Washington will begin the process of removing Pyongyang from its designation as a terror-sponsoring state and also on ending trade sanctions, Mr Wu said, although no deadlines have been set.

In order to work out further technical details, the six nations agreed to convene five working groups within 30 days.

At one point over the weekend, the talks appeared to fail over North Korea's demands for electricity and huge shipments of oil but were salvaged during the 16-hour marathon negotiations from Monday to early Tuesday morning.

Concrete document

The agreement is the most concrete document to emerge from the six-party process since it began over three years ago.

If followed up with actions, the accord would mean that North Korea can no longer produce new nuclear fuel although it will still hold on to, for now, any weapons or fuel that it may have already stockpiled.

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