The fourth
round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue
ended on Monday with a plenary meeting of the six delegations,
during which a joint statement was adopted.
The statement says the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK) is committed to abandoning all its nuclear weapons and
existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
The US affirmed in the document that it has no nuclear weapons
on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade
the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons.
The fourth round of six-party talks was held in Beijing in two
phases, from July 26 to August 7 and from September 13 to 19.
Parties to the talks were China, the DPRK, the US, the Republic of
Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan. Vice Foreign Minister Wu
Dawei, also head of the Chinese delegation, chaired the
talks.
Wu said that the joint statement is the most significant
achievement in the talks initiated two years ago.
The six parties held, in the spirit of mutual respect and
equality, "serious" and "practical" talks concerning the
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the
statement.
It says the six parties agreed to take coordinated steps to
implement their consensus in a phased manner in line with the
principle of "commitment for commitment, action for action."
They also agreed to hold the fifth round of six-party talks in
Beijing in early November this year at a date to be determined
through further consultation.
The statement says the ROK reaffirmed its commitment not to
receive or deploy nuclear weapons in accordance with the 1992 Joint
Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, while
affirming that there exist no nuclear weapons within its
territory.
The 1992 Joint Declaration should be observed and implemented,
the statement says.
The DPRK stated that it has the right to the peaceful use of
nuclear energy. The other parties expressed their respect and
agreed to discuss, at an appropriate time, the subject of the
provision of light water reactors to the DPRK, the statement
reads.
The six parties unanimously reaffirmed that the goal of the
six-party talks is the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula in a peaceful manner.
The six parties undertook to abide by the purposes and
principles of the UN Charter and recognized norms of international
relations, the statement added.
The DPRK and the US have undertaken to respect each other's
sovereignty, exist peacefully together, and take steps to normalize
their relations subject to their respective bilateral policies.
The DPRK and Japan also undertook to take steps to normalize
their relations in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration, on
the basis of the settlement of unfortunate past and the outstanding
issues of concern.
The six parties collectively undertook to promote economic
cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and investment,
bilaterally or multilaterally.
China, Japan, the ROK, Russia and the US also stated their
willingness to provide energy assistance to the DPRK.
The ROK reaffirmed its proposal of July 12, 2005 concerning the
provision of 2 million kilowatts of electric power to the DPRK.
The six parties are also committed to making joint efforts for
lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
The directly related parties will negotiate a permanent peace
regime on the Korean Peninsula at an appropriate separate
forum.
The six parties also agreed to explore ways and means for
promoting security cooperation in Northeast Asia.
(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2005)
