N Korea hands over nuclear report

Beijing: North Korea on Thursday handed in a detailed account of its nuclear activities to Chinese officials, the United States said.

The White House has confirmed that the report was submitted to China, which hosts the six-party talks on nuclear disarmament.

The United States has welcomed the move, saying it will remove North Korea from the international terror list in the next 45 days.

In a statement President George W Bush acknowledged the submission, but added that North Korea must dismantle all nuclear facilities and address questions on proliferation.

He confirmed that sanctions will be lifted under the "Trading with Enemy Act", and added that there would be further consequences if all activities were not fully disclosed.

A report on CNN's website says Chinese officials confirmed that they had received the documents. It added that the US State Department confirmed the hand-over and would be receiving them soon.

China's foreign ministry earlier said they were expecting the papers soon on Thursday.

Removal from the terror list will remove restrictions on trade and facilitate co-operations between the countries, eventually leading to North Korea working with the World Bank and other international institutions.


The nuclear declaration is a major step in the implementation of an initial atomic disarmament pact.

Six-party talks held in China early last year secured a deal offering North Korea energy, aid and diplomatic concessions in return for disabling its main nuclear facility and unveiling its past nuclear activities.

The declaration was due to occur by the end of 2007, but was delayed over disagreements in money and aid.

The six-party talks include North and South Korea, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.