News Analysis: DPRK demolishes nuclear facility, rekindling hope for breakthrough in six-party talks

by Zhang Binyang Gao Haorong

PYONGYANG, June 27 (Chinese media) -- The Democratic

People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday blew up the cooling tower at the

Yongbyon nuclear complex, a symbolic gesture of its willingness to abandon its

nuclear ambition.

Five broadcasters -- one each from the five countries

in nuclear talks with the DPRK -- were invited by the DPRK to cover the

demolition of the aging cooling tower, a symbol of the DPRK's nuclear facilities

that has repeatedly appeared in U.S. satellite photos.

With the event being witnessed by the world, the DPRK

is taking a new step for reaching the goal of denuclearization on the Korean

Peninsula.

The DPRK's move indicated that a breakthrough is

imminent in the impasse that has held up the six-party nuclear negotiations for

months, as the tower's destruction came after Pyongyang submitted its

long-delayed list of nuclear programs.

The DPRK handed over its nuclear declaration to China

on Thursday.

WASHINGTON PROMISES TO REMOVE DPRK FROM

TERROR LIST

The United States said Thursday it may remove the

DPRK from its state sponsors of terrorism in August if the DPRK meets all its

obligations under the six-party talks.

"After a period of 45 calendar days and absent the

enactment of a joint resolution blocking the proposed rescission, the secretary

of state may rescind North Korea's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism

on August 11," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

The DPRK will not be removed from the terror list

until a verification system is put in place and verification itself begins, the

statement said.

U.S. President George W. Bush also said Thursday that

the United States will lift the key sanctions on the DPRK under the Trading with

the Enemy Act and will notify Congress of his intent to remove the DPRK from the

state sponsors of terrorism.

Under a landmark agreement reached last year at the

six-party talks, involving the United States, the DPRK, China, South Korea,

Japan and Russia, Pyongyang agreed to abandon all nuclear weapons and programs

and declare all its nuclear programs and facilities by the end of 2007, in

exchange for diplomatic and economic incentives.

However, the denuclearization process reached an

impasse as Pyongyang failed to meet the deadline despite reported progress in

its nuclear disablement and declaration.

The White House stressed that it was expecting

Pyongyang to fully meet its commitments under the 2007 deal.

"We'll have to see. We hope that they will fulfill

their obligations and then, as we've said, there is action for action," White

House spokeswoman Dana Perino said earlier this week.

HOPES FOR BREAKTHROUGH IN SIX-PARTY

TALKS

Hopes have been rising recently that the months-long

deadlock in negotiations will soon end. In May, the DPRK handed over to the

United States 18,000 pages of records for its Yongbyon reactor and reprocessing

plant.

The United States also announced in the same month

that it would send 500,000 tons of food aid to the DPRK, a sign of improved

bilateral relations after rounds of negotiations and dialogues, which have

facilitated mutual understanding and helped build up confidence between the two

sides.

Several other factors are believed to have

contributed to the breakthrough in the process of DPRK's nuclear disarmament.

The close cooperation among the six parties has given

great impetus to the development of denuclearization process. China, as the

chair of the six-party talks, has played a critical mediating role. The working

groups of the six-party talks also made tremendous efforts to figure out the

details of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

Moreover, the DPRK has adopted a more open stance as

evidenced by its permitting foreign experts to visit the Yongbyon nuclear center

and inviting foreign media to cover the demolition of the cooling tower.

However, some major challenges still exist in the

denuclearization process, such as the U.S. verification of the DPRK's

declaration, the normalization of the DPRK-U.S. and DPRK-Japan ties, and the

issue of the DPRK's past abduction of Japanese citizens.