Australian PM welcomes deal on Korean nuclear issue

Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Tuesday welcomed the adoption of a deal on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as a breakthrough.

"If the in-principle agreement is translated into a reassuring detailed outcome, we can look back on it as being a significant step back from what was a very dangerous situation for our own region and the entire world," he told reporters in Melbourne, capital of Victoria.

Under the deal, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons and programs in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

Howard congratulated the six countries participating in the talks, namely China, the DPRK, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States,

"The in-principle agreement is a breakthrough, and there will be a mechanism to provide for detailed inspections (of DPRK nuclear facilities), and that will be carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency, so that if there is a breach ( of deal) in the future, that will be identified," he said.

"We are all right to be cautious, but we shouldn't be so negative as to pretend that it is not a welcome development," Howard said.

Source: Xinhua