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11/14/2002
KEDO's Executive Board members, the European Union, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United States, concluded their meeting by issuing the following statement:
The Executive Board of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) met today in New York to discuss the implications of North Korea’s acknowledgement that it is pursuing a program to produce highly-enriched uranium for nuclear weapons. The Executive Board, consisting of the United States, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and the European Union, agreed on the following:
- To condemn North Korea’s pursuit of a nuclear weapons program, which is a clear and serious violation of its obligations under the Agreed Framework, the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), its IAEA Safeguards Agreement, and the Joint South-North Declaration on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
- North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is a shared challenge to all responsible states.
- This program threatens regional and international security and undermines the international nonproliferation regime based on the NPT.
- North Korea must promptly eliminate its nuclear weapons program in a visible and verifiable manner.
- South-North Korea, Japan-North Korea, and EU-North Korea dialogues serve as important channels to resolve bilateral and international concerns and to call upon North Korea to visibly and quickly honor its commitment to give up its nuclear weapons program. North Korea’s future relations and interaction with KEDO and the members of its Executive Board hinge on the complete and permanent elimination of its nuclear weapons program.
- Heavy fuel oil deliveries will be suspended beginning with the December shipment. Future shipments will depend on North Korea’s concrete and credible actions to dismantle completely its highly-enriched uranium program. In this light, other KEDO activities with North Korea will be reviewed.
- The Executive Board will continue to consult on next steps with regard to future activities of KEDO.
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