26 June 2008
Congress Welcomes North Korea's Nuclear Declaration
Critical first step in improving East Asian security
Washington -- Key members of the U.S. Congress say North Korea's submission of its long-awaited nuclear declaration is critical to enhancing East Asian security and eventually removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula.
"North Korea's cooperation will be essential during the weeks and months ahead. I hope that they will seize this opportunity to improve relations with the United States, as well as their neighbors, by faithfully fulfilling their obligations," Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden said June 26.
North Korean Ambassador Choe Jin Su handed over a 60-page nuclear declaration to Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei in Beijing as part of an agreement to disclose fully details of its nuclear weapons development program. China hosts and chairs the Six-Party Talks that include North Korea, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States.
The secretive regime of Kim Jong-il is planning to televise the destruction of a 19.8-meter-tall cooling tower at its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon on June 27 to further demonstrate its intention of eliminating its nuclear program.
"North Korea's declaration of its nuclear programs and activities is a step toward the goal of verifiably eliminating the North's nuclear weapons and related facilities, but a lot of tough work lies ahead," Biden said in a prepared statement.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman said North Korea's declaration was encouraging, but must be verified. In partial return for providing the declaration, President Bush announced at an early morning news briefing at the White House June 26 that the United States would begin the process of lifting economic and political sanctions against North Korea. Included among those actions are plans to lift the designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. (See "North Korea Nuclear Declaration Step in Right Direction, Says Bush.")
"The [Bush] administration has wisely chosen to assess Pyongyang's sincerity in moving forward with the verification process during the congressionally mandated 45-day waiting period before North Korea can be removed officially from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list," Berman said. "You can be sure Congress will also closely monitor North Korea's actions."
Biden said it is critical to understand the relationship North Korea has had with Syria. The International Atomic Energy Agency is investigating intelligence reports that North Korea helped Syria develop a nuclear processing facility in a remote section of the country.
