The White House said on Tuesday that a landmark nuclear agreement with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is "a very important first step" toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"We think it's a very important first step toward the denuclearization of North Korea and the Korean peninsula," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

Snow urged the DPRK to abide by the deal. "There's still the possibility of sanctions through the international community," he said.

The six-party talks on Tuesday ended in Beijing with a joint statement on the first step toward the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

Under the document, the DPRK will shut down and seal the Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the reprocessing facility and invite back IAEA personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring and verifications.

According to the document, the parties agreed to the provision of emergency energy assistance to the DPRK in the initial phase, and the assistance equivalent to 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil will commence within 60 days.

Source: Xinhua