15 EU Leaders Orders N. Korea to “Completely Dismantle Nukes”

The 15 leaders of the European Union is expected to urge North Korea to completely its dismantle its nuclear weapons program in a transparent, verifiable and irreversible manner through a statement during the summit which will be held in Porto Carras, Greece on Friday (local time).

According to the draft summit statement that AFP obtained, the EU leaders are to announce that “North Korea`s nuclear plans are creating serious concerns. The North should not take any additional actions that may worsen the situation. The EU will contribute to the North Korean nuclear crisis diplomatically through a multilateral system.“

EU leaders are also expected to urge Iran to sign an international protocol that allows intrusive spot checks on its atomic facilities at suspected sites.

Meanwhile, the U.S. drafted a presidential statement from the U.N. Security Council which condemns North Korea`s nuclear development which was circulated to major permanent members of the Council.

According to the draft which was obtained by Reuters, North Korea is to completely dismantle its nuclear weapons` program immediately in a verifiable and irreversible manner, and come into full compliance with its obligations under the NPT.

John Negroponte, U.S. Ambassador to the UN, discussed the draft with diplomats from Russia, Britain and France on Wednesday, and with Chinese diplomats on Thursday. Based on this, China and Russia assumed a prudent attitude, foreign sources reported.

The statement, however, needs agreement by all 15 members of the Security Council to be adopted, and “it will be a long, uphill struggle to get approval for the statement,” the AP reported.

Unlike a U.S. Security Council Resolution, a presidential statement is not legally binding, but serves much the same purpose to put considerable pressure on North Korea.

North Korea has warned that any Security Council action would undermine attempts to end the nuclear standoff peacefully, and has said it would see U.N. sanctions as a declaration of war.

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