The fourth round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsular nuclear issue ended on Monday with a plenary meeting of the six delegations, during which a joint statement was adopted.

The statement says the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is committed to abandoning all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and returning, at an early date, to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

The US affirmed in the document that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons.

The fourth round of six-party talks was held in Beijing in two phases, from July 26 to August 7 and from September 13 to 19. Parties to the talks were China, the DPRK, the US, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and Japan. Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, also head of the Chinese delegation, chaired the talks.

Wu said that the joint statement is the most significant achievement in the talks initiated two years ago.

The six parties held, in the spirit of mutual respect and equality, "serious" and "practical" talks concerning the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the statement.

It says the six parties agreed to take coordinated steps to implement their consensus in a phased manner in line with the principle of "commitment for commitment, action for action."

They also agreed to hold the fifth round of six-party talks in Beijing in early November this year at a date to be determined through further consultation.

The statement says the ROK reaffirmed its commitment not to receive or deploy nuclear weapons in accordance with the 1992 Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, while affirming that there exist no nuclear weapons within its territory.

The 1992 Joint Declaration should be observed and implemented, the statement says.

The DPRK stated that it has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The other parties expressed their respect and agreed to discuss, at an appropriate time, the subject of the provision of light water reactors to the DPRK, the statement reads.

The six parties unanimously reaffirmed that the goal of the six-party talks is the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

The six parties undertook to abide by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and recognized norms of international relations, the statement added.

The DPRK and the US have undertaken to respect each other's sovereignty, exist peacefully together, and take steps to normalize their relations subject to their respective bilateral policies.

The DPRK and Japan also undertook to take steps to normalize their relations in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration, on the basis of the settlement of unfortunate past and the outstanding issues of concern.

The six parties collectively undertook to promote economic cooperation in the fields of energy, trade and investment, bilaterally or multilaterally.

China, Japan, the ROK, Russia and the US also stated their willingness to provide energy assistance to the DPRK.

The ROK reaffirmed its proposal of July 12, 2005 concerning the provision of 2 million kilowatts of electric power to the DPRK.

The six parties are also committed to making joint efforts for lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia.

The directly related parties will negotiate a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula at an appropriate separate forum.

The six parties also agreed to explore ways and means for promoting security cooperation in Northeast Asia.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2005)