Ban lauds further progress towards denuclearization of Korean peninsula

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the recent progress at the sixth round of the Six-Party Talks, which include the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States, aimed at achieving the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

Agreement was reached at the recent talks in Beijing to establish mechanisms to verify the denuclearization and to monitor the implementation of related commitments.

“The Secretary-General recognizes this continuing progress as an important contribution to peace and stability in Northeast Asia,” his spokesperson said in a statement.

Mr. Ban urged all participants to intensify their efforts and dialogue to further advance this multilateral process, and to contribute to the resolution of bilateral issues.

This latest development follows the submission last month by DPRK of the declaration of its nuclear programmes to China, a move that the Secretary-General hailed as a “very encouraging” step in efforts towards the peaceful denuclearization of the peninsula.