The Guardian 28 February, 2007
New hope for
peace and security on Korean Peninsula
The six-country agreement reached in Beijing on February 13, between Russia, China, the US, Japan, and South and North Korea, has taken a major step towards the objective of a de-nuclearised Korean peninsula — if its terms are fulfilled in the coming months.
The aim of the agreement was to bring about:
Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula
Normalisation of DPRK-US relations
Normalisation of DPRK-Japan relations
Economy and Energy cooperation
Northeast Asia Peace and Security Mechanism.
The six-party agreement made the following decisions:
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) will shut down and seal for the purpose of eventual abandonment of the Yongbyon nuclear facility and invite back the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to conduct all necessary monitoring and verifications as agreed between the DPRK and the IAEA.
The DPRK will list all of its nuclear programs including plutonium extracted from used fuel rods that would be abandoned pursuant to the Joint Statement.
The DPRK and the US to start bilateral talks aimed at resolving issues and moving toward full diplomatic relations. The US will begin the process of removing the designation of the DPRK as a state-sponsor of terrorism and advance the process of terminating the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act with respect to the DPRK.
The DPRK and Japan will start bilateral talks aimed at taking steps to normalise their relations on the basis of the settlement of "unfortunate past and the outstanding issues of concern".
All the above steps are to be taken within the next 60 days.
Five working groups are to be set up to implement the Joint Statement.
The Parties agreed to cooperate in economic, energy and humanitarian assistance to the DPRK. The Parties agreed to the provision of emergency energy assistance to the DPRK in the initial phase. The Agreement called for the emergency shipment of 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil within the next 60 days.
When the initial stage has been fulfilled a further 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil is to be provided.
A number of these provisions had been agreed to at earlier meetings and the new agreement is also being opposed by hardliners in the Bush administration who had branded the DPRK as a member of its so-called "axis of evil". Threatening military surveillance, the stationing of US warships off the Korean coast, attempts to disrupt the re-unification process between North and South Korea, threats to board DPRK trading vessels all called into question the real intentions of the US.
In 2005 the US had declared that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and that it had no intention of attacking or invading the DPRK with either nuclear or conventional weapons.
For its part the DPRK had declared its right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy and it is unclear from the present agreement whether the DPRK intends to maintain nuclear power plants for energy purposes.
It also remains to be seen whether the Australian government will lift its trading and aid bans and threats to board DPRK trading ships. If it is concerned about the peace and security interests of the Pacific region and is willing to maintain friendly relations with all countries in the Asian region in accordance with the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation it will welcome the new agreement and bring an end to its longstanding hostility to the DPRK.