UN encourages Korean leaders to act swiftly on agreements at ¡®historic¡¯ summit
Following Friday¡¯s summit between the leaders of the Democratic People¡¯s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea, Secretary-General Ant¨®nio Guterres and other top officials expressed hope that the two countries would swiftly implement all agreed actions, including ridding the Peninsula of nuclear weapons.
¡°The Secretary-General applauds today¡¯s truly historic summit,¡± said Mr. Guterres¡¯ Spokesman, St¨¦phane Dujarric, in a statement. ¡°Many around the world were moved by the powerful imagery of the two leaders coming together to advance harmony and peace on the Korean Peninsula.¡±
According to the declaration signed by both leaders and released after the summit, the two nations agreed on a number of measures, including realizing the common goal of ¡°complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,¡± and pursuing phased military arms reduction and talks to declare an official end to the Korean War, which devastated the Peninsula from 1950 to 1953.
¡°The Secretary-General salutes the courage and leadership that resulted in the important commitments and agreed actions outlined in the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula,¡± noted the Spokesman.
The UN chief ¡°counts on the parties to build on their first meeting and swiftly implement all agreed actions to further inter-Korean trust-building and reconciliation; sincere dialogue; and progress towards sustainable peace and verifiable denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula,¡± Mr. Dujarric said, adding: The Secretary-General ¡°looks forward to these gains being consolidated and advanced¡± at the US-DPRK summit expected to take place soon.
Source: United Nations (www.un.org)