North Korea's agreement to scrap its nukes
An agreement in principle was the first step. Details will be addressed in November talks.
The most protracted talks over the standoff on the Korean peninsula since the Korean War ended in 1953 concluded Monday with a facesaving "statement of principles."
North Korea agreed to give up its "existing nuclear weapons" and return to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The United States joined others at the six-party talks in expressing "respect" for North Korea's claim to "the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy," and offering energy assistance and economic cooperation.
The agreement skirts key issues, such as the timing of concessions, that will be addressed when talks resume in November. But the deal is seen as a major victory for international diplomacy, with a pariah country opting for cooperation and assistance - and ultimately survival - over confrontation. The development, some say, could lead to steady change on the Korean peninsula.
"This is a Libya-style deal," says Joseph Cirincione, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, referring to Libya's 2003 pledge to give up weapons of mass destruction. "North Korea realized it has more to gain economically, politically, and diplomatically by giving up its nuclear weapons program than by keeping them."
The deal is seen by some analysts as a clear victory for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's diplomatic approach over administration forces favoring a more confrontational approach.
Mohammed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, cited the agreement as proof that "dialogue can work" - an example he indicated might apply to Iran.
The White House welcomed the accord but said Pyongyang must live up to its obligations and dismantle its nuclear programs.
President Bush, who three years ago questioned whether it was possible to verify any deal with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il, called the North Korean commitment a "step forward" but said North Korea needed to realize "We're serious about this and that we expect there to be a verifiable process." The question, he said, is "over time, will all parties adhere to the agreement?"
Chief US negotiator Christopher Hill called on the North to shut down its main reactor complex as a sign of good faith.
The six-party agreement - coupled with a promise to discuss a suspended light-water nuclear energy project - came just a week after Mr. Hill declared that North Korea's insistence on the right to nuclear energy for peacetime purposes was "a nonstarter."
Hill, who led the US delegation throughout the fourth round of the talks that began in Beijing in July, joined others in signing off on the statement after intense pressure from South Korea and talks with top US officials. The final statement was drafted by China, which hosted the talks beginning in February 2003.
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