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DPRK submits declaration to chair of six-party talks

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-06-26 19:07

BEIJING  -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) submitted its nuclear declaration to the chair of the six-party talks here Thursday afternoon.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the DPRK ambassador to China Choe Jin Su  submitted the declaration to Wu Dawei, China's top negotiator on Korean Peninsular nuclear issue.

Prior to the submission, Wu held a press conference, reading a statement by the chair of the six-party talks, in which he said the United States will implement its obligations to remove the designation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terrorism and to terminate application of the Trading with the Enemy Acts.

Wu confirmed the parties, also including the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia, agreed that the declaration will be subject to verification and there is agreement within the parties on a set of principles to guide the establishment of a verification regime.

"We believe that the above-mentioned developments will be conducive to implementing the second-phase actions in a comprehensive and balanced manner, and the final realization of all the goals in the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement," Wu said, who is also China's vice foreign minister.

The United States said on Monday it expected the DPRK to submit its nuclear declaration to China on June 26.

"That is the deadline, June 26th is the deadline," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

"We hope that they will fulfill their obligations and then, as we've said, there is action for action. So let's take a look at the declaration as we get it and then I'll tell you what the next steps are," she said.

Under an agreement reached at the six-party talks in Beijing in February last year, the DPRK agreed to abandon all nuclear weapons and programs and declare all its nuclear programs and facilities by the end of 2007, in exchange for diplomatic and economic incentives.

However, the DPRK missed the deadline despite reported progress in its nuclear disablement and declaration.

The United States has urged the DPRK to fully declare its nuclear programs and activities.