Special Report: The sixth round of six-party talks
    WASHINGTON, June 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said here on Wednesday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will soon make a declaration of all its nuclear weapons programs after having missed a deadline under a six-party deal.

    "North Korea will soon give its declaration of nuclear programs to China," Rice said in a speech in Washington.

    Following Pyongyang's declaration, President George W. Bush will formally inform Congress of plans to remove the DPRK from a list of state sponsors of terrorism and waive penalizing the country under the U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act, Rice said.

    "In the next 45 days after that, before those actions go into effect, we would continue to assess the level of North Korean cooperation in helping to verify the accuracy of its declaration ... If that cooperation is insufficient, we will respond accordingly," the top U.S. diplomat said.

    Rice made the announcement before U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill is due to visit Japan and China this week for further talks on the settlement of nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula.

    Hill is due in Japan on Thursday where he will do six-party talk consultations with the government of Japan as well as some South Korean officials before going to China on Friday, State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said Tuesday.

    Under an agreement reached at the six-party talks in Beijing in February last year, the DPRK 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 DPRK missed the deadline due to its differences with other countries in the Korean nuclear disarmament talks.

    The United States has been urging the DPRK to fully declare its nuclear programs and activities.

China to continue playing constructive role in Six-Party Talks

    PYONGYANG, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to play a constructive role in the six-party talks on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping said here Wednesday.

    At a meeting with Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Xi said China is willing to strengthen the exchange of opinions and cooperation with the DPRK with a view to promote the six-party talks. Full story