North Korea pledged to drop its nuclear weapons development and rejoin international arms treaties in a unanimous agreement Monday at six-party arms talks. The agreement was the first-ever joint statement after more than two years of negotiations.The North "promised to drop all nuclear weapons and current nuclear programs and to get back to the (Nuclear) Nonproliferation Treaty as soon as possible and to accept inspections" by the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the agreement by the six countries at the talks.
The North and the U.S. also pledged to mutually respect each other's sovereignty and right to peaceful coexistence in the agreement.
"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.
"All six parties emphasized that to realize the inspectable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the target of the six-party talks," the statement said.
The talks, which began in August 2003, include China, Japan, Russia, the U.S. and the two Koreas.