US, SKorea press NKorea on nuke programme

SEOUL: The US and South Korean presidents urged North Korea Wednesday to move quickly to disable its nuclear programmes and to make "meaningful progress" on improving human rights.

The calls came in a joint statement after a summit between Presidents George W. Bush and Lee Myung-Bak. South Korea and the US, along with China, Japan and Russia have since 2003 been negotiating an aid-for-denuclearisation deal with North Korea, which tested an atomic weapon in October 2006.

The North handed over details of its bomb-making nuclear programme in June as part of a six-nation pact and Bush announced his intention to remove it from a terrorism blacklist. But Washington says the communist regime must first agree to a comprehensive protocol on ways to verify the declaration.

Lee and Bush welcomed progress made on the disarmament pact. "They also agreed that a rigorous verification regime needs to be established in order to ensure the completeness and correctness of the declaration submitted by North Korea." the statement said.

They urged the North promptly to finish disabling its Yongbyon atomic plants under the second phase of the deal and "through third-phase actions, to implement full abandonment of all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes."

News Source : Geo.tv