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North Korea agrees to nuclear moratorium | |
(40 minutes later) | |
North Korea has agreed to suspend uranium enrichment, as well as nuclear and long-range missile tests, following talks with the US. | |
The US State Department said Pyongyang had also agreed to allow UN inspectors to monitor its reactor in Yongbyon to verify compliance with the measures. | |
In return, the US is finalising 240,000 tonnes of food aid for the North. | |
The move comes two months after Kim Jong-un came to power following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. | |
Correspondents say the move could pave the way for the resumption of six-party disarmament negotiations with Pyongyang, which last broke down in 2009. | Correspondents say the move could pave the way for the resumption of six-party disarmament negotiations with Pyongyang, which last broke down in 2009. |
'First step' | |
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US still had "profound concerns" over North Korea, but welcomed the move as a "first step". | |
"On the occasion of Kim Jong-Il's death, I said that it is our hope that the new leadership will choose to guide their nation onto the path of peace by living up to its obligations. | |
"Today's announcement represents a modest first step in the right direction." | |
She said the US would however be watching Pyongyang closely, and would be "judging North Korea's new leaders by their actions". | She said the US would however be watching Pyongyang closely, and would be "judging North Korea's new leaders by their actions". |
North Korea confirmed the move in a foreign ministry statement released in Pyongyang. | |
The statement, carried by the KCNA news agency, said the measures were "aimed at building confidence for the improvement of relations" between the two countries, and said talks would continue. | |
Earlier, a senior US military official said the issue of food aid for North Korea was now linked to political progress - contradicting earlier policy. | Earlier, a senior US military official said the issue of food aid for North Korea was now linked to political progress - contradicting earlier policy. |
The North has suffered persistent food shortages since a famine in the 1990s, and relies on foreign aid to feed its people. | The North has suffered persistent food shortages since a famine in the 1990s, and relies on foreign aid to feed its people. |
North Korea agreed in 2005 to give up its nuclear ambitions in return for aid and political concessions, as part of a six-nation dialogue process involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Russia and Japan. | |
But progress on the deal was stop-start, and the agreement broke down in 2009. | |
Contact between the US and North Korea aimed at restarting the talks began in July 2011. | |
A meeting last week between US and North Korean officials in Beijing was the third round of talks aimed at exploring how to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. |