US welcomes NKorea pledge on nuclear shutdown, urges action

[Eugene]

Source: Agence France-Presse

US welcomes NKorea pledge on nuclear shutdown, urges action

Fri Apr 20, 11:18 AM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States welcomed a renewed North Korea
pledge to start shutting down its nuclear program once a banking dispute
is settled, but urged the communist state to act quickly.

"The statement is positive," State Department spokesman Tom Casey said
following North Korea's promise to honor the terms of a six-nation, February
13 agreement to begin abandonning its nuclear weapons program.

-snip-

"The key now is that they finish out the arrangements with their bankers
and actually move forward with the actions required," he said.

In its second such message in a week, North Korea vowed Friday to invite
UN atomic agency inspectors into the country the moment it can confirm
that its funds, which had been frozen in a Macau bank as a result of US
sanctions, have been unblocked.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070420/pl_afp/nkoreanuclearweapons_070420151834