North Korea Agreed To Rejoin The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty

The fourth round of six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program finally led to a joint statement on Monday, confirming the country's sovereign right to conduct peaceful nuclear research.

The statement said the parties respected North Korea's position on its right to conduct peaceful nuclear research and agreed to discuss providing the country with a light-water reactor and stated North Korea's pledge to give up a nuclear weapon programs and to rejoin the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, along with permitting the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its nuclear sites.

In exchange, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and China, the other parties in the six-party talks in Beijing, would provide oil, energy aid and seek to normalize ties with the impoverished and diplomatically isolated North.

Furthermore, the document stated that the U.S. had no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and did not intend to invade North Korea using nuclear or conventional weapons.
The two countries also confirmed their commitment to peaceful coexistence and the normalization of bilateral relations.

"The joint statement is the most important achievement in the two years since the start of six-party talks," concluded Chinese chief negotiator Wu Dawei.