On June 26, through the efforts of all parties, significant progress was made at the second session of the Six-Party Talks. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) submitted a nuclear declaration to the chairman of the Six-Party Talks, and on the same day the United States removed the DPRK from its list of countries that support terrorism and lifted restrictions on the DPRK imposed by the Trading with the Enemy Act. This is an important step in the process of pushing for the disarmament of the DPRK peninsula in the Six-Party Talks, and it has received widespread attention and welcome from the international community.
It is known that on October 3, 2007, a joint document called the "Second-Phase Actions for the Implementation of the Joint Statement" was passed at the second session of the sixth round of the Six-Party Talks concerning the DPRK nuclear issue. At the second session concerning DPRK disarmament, the DPRK had planned to submit a complete and accurate nuclear declaration before December 31, 2007. In response, the US committed to removing the DPRK from its list of state sponsors of terrorism and lifting restrictions imposed on the DPRK by the Trading with the Enemy Act. However, because of the lack of mutual trust between the DPRK and the US, the timetable for following the principle of "action for action" was continually pushed back. Through the joint efforts of all parties, the DPRK finally decided to submit its nuclear declaration on June 26, 6 months after the end of the second session concerning the DPRK nuclear issue. Although matters regrettably did not proceed according to the planned timetable, the course and direction of development remained certain.
In order to achieve the desired outcomes, the second session of the Six-Party Talks was based on four elements: 1. The DPRK would agree to submit a nuclear declaration, showing an attitude of willingness to resolve the nuclear issue, and would be freed from the two major "chains" placed upon it by the US. For a long time, the Trading with the Enemy Act and the state terrorism blacklist were the two "chains" placed around the neck of the DPRK. Submitting the nuclear declaration would not only free the DPRK from these chains, but also benefit DPRK politics, foreign relations, and economic development. 2. The US would fulfill its commitment, and the Bush administration hoped the DPRK nuclear issue would be resolved diplomatically within President Bush's term. 3. Upon the DPRK's submission of its declaration of nuclear capabilities and plans, the DPRK would receive 950,000 tons of heavy oil as economic and energy aid from the six parties. It would also receive the 500,000 tons of grain promised by the US. 4. There would be progress in DPRK-US relations, and the DPRK's relations with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) would also improve, signifying the new progress achieved by the Six-Party Talks and the creation of more favorable conditions.
The DPRK's submission of a nuclear declaration along with the US' fulfillment of its commitments have broken through the bottleneck of the second session of the Six-Party Talks, reflecting the principle of mutual progress and action, benefiting the general equilibrium of second session activities, and finally realizing the multiple objectives that were jointly confirmed and called for on September 19.
It is important to note that the DPRK's submission of a nuclear declaration at the second session of the Six-Party Talks is only one significant step; heavy burdens remain in this process. The completeness and accuracy of the nuclear declaration are yet to be verified. Regarding the issue of nuclear capability, it is yet to be seen whether the goal of disposing of all nuclear arms in the DPRK will be reached, whether the members of the Six-Party Talks will fulfill their individual commitments including nonproliferation and economic and energy aid, and so on.
As the host country of the Six-Party Talks, China will rigorously evaluate the progress of carrying out the joint mission of the Six-Party Talks during the second session, and will continue to play a constructive role in carrying out the ultimate goal of disarmament of the DPRK peninsula.
By People's Daily Online
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