Text Only
Search

 
US: North Korea to Disable Its Nuclear Plants This Year

02 September 2007

Christopher Hill, left, arrives at the mission of N. Korea for bilateral meeting of the US and N. Korea in Geneva, 2 Sept 2007<br />
Christopher Hill, left, arrives at the mission of N. Korea for bilateral meeting of the US and N. Korea in Geneva, 02 Sep 2007

The chief U.S. nuclear envoy says North Korea has agreed to identify all its nuclear programs and disable them by the end of this year.

The U.S.-North Korean nuclear agreement was announced Sunday after two days of negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, chief of the U.S. delegation, says the talks were "very good [and] very substantive," and that he anticipates further progress at the next round of six-nation talks about North Korea, later this month.

Hill's North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye Kwan, confirms his country is ready to "declare," or list, all of its nuclear programs, and then dismantle them, although he did not mention a specific date, while speaking to reporters on Sunday.

Kim says his country will receive additional "political and economic compensation" in return for the agreement reached in Geneva, but neither side has disclosed any further details.

In addition to nuclear programs, the U.S. and North Korean teams in Geneva were discussing efforts to normalize relations between Washington and Pyongyang, and what needs to be done if the United States is to remove North Korea from its list of states that sponsor terrorism.

After years of sporadic negotiations, North Korea first agreed in February to end its nuclear program an earlier round of six-party talks with the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.

North Korea said it closed its main nuclear facility in July, and that has been confirmed by international inspectors. The Yongbyon nuclear plant was believed to be a source of weapons-grade plutonium.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.

 

emailme.gif E-mail This Article
printerfriendly.gif Print Version

  Related Stories
US, North Korea Meet on Nuclear Issue, Normalizing Ties
US North Korean Nuclear Talks Enter New Phase
 
  Top Story
Germany Marks  20th Anniversary of Collapse of Berlin Wall  Audio Clip Available  Video clip available

  More Stories
Suicide Bomber Kills 3 in Northwestern Pakistan
APEC Economies Report Improved Trade Finance, Discuss Free Trade  Audio Clip Available
China Executes Nine Ethnic Uighurs in July Unrest
Iraqi Official Proposes January 21 Election Date
Israel's Netanyahu, Obama to Meet Monday
Scientists Report Abnormal Sea Level Rises Off Western Australia  Audio Clip Available
Hurricane Ida Heads Toward Gulf of Mexico, Floods Kill 91 in El Salvador
Sri Lanka to Boost Investment in Tamil Provinces Devastated by Civil War  Audio Clip Available
Clinton Urges Europeans to Bring Down "Walls" of Terrorism, Oppression  Audio Clip Available
Russia-Iran Relations Balancing on Nuclear Issue