On 21 September, Ambassador Wu Hailong gave a statement on the Nuclear Issue of the DPRK at the September Board of Governors' Meeting of IAEA. Following is the full text of the statement:
The Chinese delegation would like to take this opportunity to brief the Board of Governors on the six party talks on the DPRK issue concluded on the 19th.
In this round of talks, China, the DPRK, Japan, the ROK, Russia and the United States engaged in serious and pragmatic discussion on the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Agreement was reached on the overarching goal of the Six Party Talk and a Joint Statement was issued.
In the joint statement, the six parties unanimously reaffirmed that the goal of the Six Party Talks is the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner. The DPRK committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes, and to returning, at an early date, to the NPT and to IAEA safeguards. The United States affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons. The DPRK stated that it has the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The other parties expressed their respect for this, and agreed to discuss, at an appropriate time, the subject of the provision of a light water nuclear reactor to the DPRK.
The Six Parties undertook, in their relations, to abide by the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and recognized norms of international relations. The DPRK and the Untied States undertook to respect each other's sovereignty, to coexist peacefully, and to take steps, subject to their respective bilateral policies, to normalize their relations. The Six Parties undertook to promote bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and investment. China, Japan, the ROK, Russia and the United States stated their willingness to provide energy assistance to the DPRK. At the same time, the Six Parties further pledged their commitment to lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia and to engaging in a further process of negotiations with a view to establishing a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The Six Parties further agreed to hold the fifth round of Six Party talks in Beijing in early November.
This Joint Statement is the first substantive joint document reached since the Six Party Talks were launched. It accommodates the interests and concerns of all parties, and is a balanced, win-win document, marking the entry of the Six Party Talks into a new phase.
The positive results achieved in the Six Party Talks on the DPRK nuclear issue are testimony to the fact that dialogue and negotiation are fundamentally in the interests of all parties and are a realistic and effective approach resolving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.
At present, the parties concerned have reached agreement on the ultimate goal and basic principles of the Six Party Talks. This has laid a good foundation for pushing the talks forward.
The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is complex. A thorough solution will involve a difficult process. There is a long way for the Six Party Talks to go, and many difficulties and twists are sure to be encountered. We hope that the parties continue to practice respect, flexibility and pragmatism to steadily build understanding and confidence, accumulate consensus and narrow the gap for a final settlement of the nuclear issue of the Peninsula.