Srirangan

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsAr...OREA-NORTH.xml

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea agreed on Monday to give up all of its nuclear weapons and programs in a landmark agreement that caps two years of negotiations to defuse a high-stakes crisis.

In exchange, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China -- the other players in the six-party talks in Beijing -- would provide oil, energy aid and seek to normalize ties with the impoverished and diplomatically isolated North.

"The joint statement is the most important achievement in the two years since the start of six-party talks," Chinese chief negotiator Wu Dawei said.

Under the terms of the agreement, North Korea would have the right to a civilian nuclear program if it regains international trust, resolving the main sticking point between Pyongyang and Washington at this session of negotiations.

The United States, backed by Japan, had argued that North Korea could not be trusted with atomic energy, but China, South Korea and Russia supported the position that if it scrapped its nuclear weapons and agreed to strict safeguards it could have such an energy program in future.

Failure to reach an agreement on dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programs in exchange for aid and security guarantees could have prompted Washington to take the issue to the U.N. Security Council and press for sanctions.

The North has said sanctions would be tantamount to war.

North Korea had demanded aid and security guarantees before it dismantled any of its nuclear programs, but Washington and Tokyo want it to verifiably dismantle first.

In Monday's agreement, the United States affirmed it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade North Korea with nuclear or conventional weapons, China's official Xinhua news agency said.

Pyongyang and Washington, as well as Pyongyang and Tokyo, would also take steps to normalize relations, the report said.

Three previous rounds of negotiations failed to resolve the dispute, which started when the United States accused Communist North Korea in 2002 of a nuclear arms program in violation of international agreements.

North Korea denied the charge and promptly withdrew from the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Then, in February this year, North Korea, branded by the United States as part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and pre-war Iraq, said it did indeed have nuclear weapons.

__________________
I rant, therefore I am.

Srirangan

N Korea 'to scrap nuclear arms'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/4259128.stm

North Korea has agreed to give up all nuclear arms and activities and rejoin the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to negotiators in Beijing.

Pyongyang has also agreed to accept inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog.

In return, the US has declared that it has no intention of attacking North Korea and will respect its sovereignty.

The breakthrough came during a fourth round of six-party talks in Beijing aimed at ending a three-year standoff over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The six nations involved in the talks will discuss North Korea's request for a light water nuclear reactor at a later date, according to a joint statement.

"This is the most important result since the six-party talks started more than two years ago," said Wu Dawei, China's vice foreign minister.

'Right to energy'

The North "promised to drop all nuclear weapons and current nuclear programmes and to get back to the Non-Proliferation Treaty as soon as possible and to accept inspections" by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the statement said, quoted by the Associated Press.

"The United States affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade (North Korea) with nuclear or conventional weapons."

North Korea "stated that it has the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy", the statement said, for which the other nations "expressed their respect".

The deal included offers of energy aid to North Korea, and "economic co-operation in the fields of energy, trade and investment".

The statement said the US and North Korea, which President George W Bush included in his "axis of evil", would work to normalise relations over time.

The BBC's Charles Scanlon in Seoul says the statement appears to be a significant step forward in principle, but it is in its implementation that difficulties may arise.

The six parties - North and South Korea, the US, China, Japan and Russia - agreed to meet for a further round of talks in early November in Beijing.

bull

this is good.especially for those masses who have deprived of basic necessities,hopefully the aid will start pouring in.

__________________
What's the difference between people who pray in church and those who pray in casinos?
The ones in the casinos are serious.