North Korea agreed to take steps towards nuclear disarmament under a groundbreaking deal struck in Beijing on Tuesday.
The deal will fetch the impoverished communist state over $300 million (154 million pounds) worth of aid.
Under the agreement, which was reached by six countries in Beijing after nearly a week of talks, Pyongyang will freeze the reactor at the heart of its nuclear programme and allow international inspections of the site.
The proposed plan – put into place by South Korea, North Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia, and China – will only be the first step in locating and dismantling North Korea’s nuclear arms activities, leaving many crucial questions to future negotiations.
“This is only one phase of de-nuclearisation. We’re not done,” Christopher Hill, chief negotiator of the United States, said.
Japan voiced its doubts whether any agreement could be made to stick.
John Bolton, former US ambassador to the United Nations and a conservative, decried the pact as a “very bad deal.” He said the communist state should not be rewarded with “massive shipments of heavy fuel oil” for only partially dismantling its nuclear programme.
“It sends exactly the wrong signal to would-be proliferators around the world,” John Bolton remarked.
Under the agreement, North Korea must take the steps within 60 days, and in return it will receive 50,000 tonnes of fuel oil or economic aid of equal value.
It will receive another 950,000 tonnes of fuel oil or equivalent when it takes further steps to disable its nuclear capabilities, including providing a complete inventory of its plutonium – the fuel used in Pyongyang’s first nuclear test blast in October 2006.
The 1 million tonnes of fuel would be worth around $300 million at current prices for heavy fuel oil, which is used in power stations, shipping and elsewhere.
The steps, for the time being, do not involve the provision of 2,000 megawatts of electricity that South Korea pledged in a September 2005 deal reached by the six countries. South Korea would do so after the completion of de-nuclearisation of North Korea.
The electricity, at an estimated cost of $8.55 billion over 10 years, would be almost equal to North Korea’s current output.
The Beijing talks had focussed on how to begin implementing a September 2005 accord that offered Pyongyang aid and security assurances in return for dismantling its weapons capabilities.
The United States would contribute to the infusion of oil and aid for North Korea. For this, US President George W Bush must win Congressional approval.Labels: International Politics |
