WASHINGTON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The White House said
Thursday that it will lift trade sanctions against the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) and remove the DPRK from its list of state sponsors of
terrorism within 45 days.
The White House made the remarks in a statement
released shortly after the DPRK submitted its nuclear declaration to the chair
of the six-party talks, China, in Beijing.
"The United States will respond to the DPRK's actions
by lifting the provisions of the Trading with the Enemy Act as well as
announcing our intent to rescind the DPRK's designation as a State Sponsor of
Terror in 45 days," the White House said in the statement.
"During this period, the United States will carefully
assess the DPRK's actions particularly with regard to verification," it said.
The statement said the United States "welcomes the
DPRK's declaration of its nuclear programs."
The DPRK's submission of the nuclear declaration "is
an important step in the multi-step process laid out in the Six Party Talks
between the DPRK, China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States," said
the statement.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the DPRK
ambassador to China Choe Jin Su submitted the declaration to Wu Dawei, China's
top negotiator on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue.
Under an agreement reached at the six-party talks in
Beijing in October 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 despite
reported progress in its nuclear disablement and declaration.
The United States has urged the DPRK to fully declare
its nuclear programs and activities.