IAEA Board of Governors: EU Statment on the Report by the Director General on the implementation of safeguards in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
IAEA Board of Governors
11-15 September 2006
STATEMENT BY FINLAND ON BEHALF OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Item 8. (b) Report by the Director General on the implementation of safeguards in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson,
1. I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and Moldova align themselves with this statement.
Mr. Chairperson,
2. The EU would like to thank the Director General for his report concerning the implementation of safeguards in the DPRK and for his efforts to follow up the issue. The EU remains seriously concerned by the fact that since December 2002, the nuclear activities of the DPRK have been outside IAEA verification and that the IAEA has been unable to draw any conclusions regarding the DPRK's nuclear activities.
3. The EU continues to urge the DPRK to comply with all its international commitments fully, unconditionally and without delay, in particular with its IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement under the NPT. Furthermore, the EU reiterates its call strongly urging the DPRK to abandon and completely dismantle any nuclear weapons related programme in a prompt, transparent, verifiable and irreversible manner. The EU calls upon the DPRK to refrain from any action that could aggravate the situation.
4. The EU fully supports UN Security Council Resolution 1695, which strongly urges the DPRK to return immediately to the Six-Party talks without preconditions and implement the Joint Statement concluded in September 2005. The EU will continue to actively support efforts to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue in a peaceful manner.
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson
* Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.