N. Korea Agrees to Nuclear Shut Down

Fox News reported.....

BEIJING — North Korea agreed Tuesday to take first steps toward nuclear disarmament and shut down its main reactor within 60 days before eventually dismantling its atomic weapons program.

Under the deal, the North will receive initial aid equal to 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil for shutting down and sealing its main nuclear reactor and related facilities at Yongbyon , north of the capital, to be confirmed by international inspectors.

North Korea and United States also will embark on talks aimed at resolving disputes and restarting diplomatic relations, Wu said. The Korean peninsula has technically remained in a state of war for more than a half-century since the Korean War ended in a 1953 cease-fire. More...

Some of the key points to the agreement are -

• Within 60 days, the North must shut down and seal its main nuclear facilities at Yongbyon..... International inspectors should be allowed to verify the process. North Korea will get energy, food and other aid worth 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil.

• The United States will begin bilateral talks with North Korea to normalize their relations and will begin the processes of removing North Korea from its designation as a terror-sponsoring state and also ending U.S. trade sanctions, but no deadline was set.

• Japan will begin bilateral talks with North Korea to normalize their relations.

• After 60 days, foreign ministers of all the countries will meet to confirm the implementation of the agreement and talk about security cooperation in northeast Asia.

• The North must provide a complete list of its nuclear programs and disable all existing nuclear facilities. In return, the North will get aid in corresponding steps worth 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil _ details of which will be addressed in later working group discussions.

• Five working groups will be created: denuclearization, U.S.-North Korea relations, Japan-North Korea relations, economic cooperation and on a peace and security mechanism in northeast Asia.

• The six-nation talks will meet again March 19.

  Click here for a time line of events on the North Korean Nuclear Developments