Ban welcomes North Korea deal, urges sides to maintain momentum

Feb 13, 2007, 19:39 GMT

New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday said he was 'encouraged' by an agreement reached with North Korea on its nuclear programme, urging all sides to keep up the momentum and help denuclearize the Korean peninsula.

'This agreement represents the first practical stage towards a non-nuclear (Korean) peninsula,' Ban said. 'I urge the participants to make every effort to sustain the current positive momentum and ensure that this accord is implemented as agreed,' Ban said.

After years of contentious negotiations, North Korea for the first time agreed to implement steps to abandon its nuclear activities in exchange for hundreds of millions of dollars in fuel oil aid, during six-nation talks in Beijing Tuesday.

Ban himself had been involved in past six-party talks as a former South Korean foreign minister until he assumed the top UN leadership post on January 1, 2007. Ban has said he wants to visit Pyongyang to discuss the nuclear issue.

The six-party talks involve China, the US, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas.

Ban said he was 'encouraged that this constructive effort by the international community can eventually result in strengthening the global non-proliferation regime, as well as in contributing to durable peace, security and prosperity in the region.'

Ban said the six nations negotiating with North Korea should move quickly to the next stage. Another round of talks is scheduled for March 19 to check on the progress of Tuesday's agreement and a ministerial level meeting is to take place after 60 days. Working groups have also been set up to discuss the possible normalization of relations between North Korea and Japan and the United States.