Inter-Korean accord gets wide support from international community
By Jung Da-min
The Panmunjeom Declaration adopted by the leaders of two Koreas, Friday, to pursue a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, is getting wide support from the international community.
"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," said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesman, Stephane Dujarric in a statement.
"He (the secretary-general) 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," the statement added.
The European Union also welcomed the declaration, saying that it shows the way to peace is possible against all odds.
"The European Union is ready to answer the call of the two leaders for the international community to lend its full support to the denuclearization of the peninsula," said High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.
"Full denuclearization, as committed to by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), must include its nuclear and missile programs and be complete, verifiable and irreversible."
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also praised the summit as the first step in overcoming difficult issues on the Korean Peninsula.
"The Inter-Korean summit supports steps to decrease tensions and improve inter-Korean relations, and it will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region," said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Saturday, after the 32nd ASEAN Summit hosted by Singapore.
The Singaporean prime minister, however, called for further steps, noting the denuclearization of the peninsula is an issue with a long history.
"The cycle of tensions and mistrust has built up over a long period of time," Lee said. "The first step is the first of many, and the subsequent steps will not be easy."
Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, also applauded the two Korea's commitment to "complete denuclearization" pledged in the declaration.
The head of the international nuclear watchdog also asked Pyongyang to rejoin the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.