The White House on Wednesday praised a North Korean commitment to disable its main nuclear reactor by the end of the year under the terms of a deal worked out between Pyongyang, the United States and four other nations. President George W. Bush “welcomes today's announcement, which outlines a roadmap for a declaration of the DPRK's (North Korea's) nuclear programs and disablement of its core nuclear facilities by the end of the year,” said National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe. “These Second-Phase actions effectively end the DPRK's production of plutonium -- a major step towards the goal of achieving the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” he added in a statement. The announcement from North Korea - formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - fulfills Pyongyang's commitment to disable its Yongbyon nuclear facility and release a complete list of its nuclear installations by December 31. North Korea previously halted activity at the site under the terms of the six-nation talks, which also include South Korea, Russia, China and Japan. “The September 30 agreement builds on the February 13 agreement on ‘Initial Actions for the Implementation of the Joint Statement,' pursuant to which the DPRK in July shut down and sealed the Yongbyon nuclear facility and invited back the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) to verify and monitor these activities,” Johndroe said.
