The six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue ended Tuesday with the signing of a joint document, under which the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (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.

The landmark accord document represents the first step toward the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, and has drawn a positive response from the international community.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the agreement reached at the six-party talks in Beijing, hailing it as "the first practical stage towards a non-nuclear Peninsula."

In a statement released by his spokesperson on Tuesday, Ban said he was encouraged that this constructive effort by the international community had strengthened the global nonproliferation regime and contributed to a durable peace and security and prosperity in the region.

In Washington, U.S. President George W. Bush said he was pleased with the nuclear deal with the DPRK.

In a statement on Tuesday, Bush said: "These talks represent the best opportunity to use diplomacy to address North Korea's nuclear program. They reflect the common commitment of the participants to a Korean peninsula that is free of nuclear weapons."

White House spokesman Tony Snow hailed the document as "a very important first step toward the denuclearization of North Korea and the Korean Peninsula," and urged the DPRK to abide by the deal.

The United States has pledged to resolve the issue of financial sanctions against the DPRK.

"We told the other parties in the talks that we will resolve the matter of the sanctions regarding the BDA (Banco Delta Asia) within 30 days," said Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. negotiator, on Tuesday evening when he turned to his hotel in Beijing.

"We have some ideas about how to proceed with that," he added.

In Brussels, European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana extended his welcome to the nuclear deal with the DPRK.

"This is good news," said Solana in a statement on Tuesday, while calling on "the DPRK to re-engage in dialogue and to take forward the agreement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula reached in September 2005."

Also on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry lauded the outcome of the six-party talks as "an additional impetus" to "the ultimate goal of ensuring the Korean Peninsula's nuclear-free status."

The document will help " create conditions for strengthening peace and security in Northeast Asia and develop comprehensive cooperation between all states in the region," the ministry said in a press release.

France, Ireland and South Africa have also responded positively to the nuclear deal with the DPRK.

In Paris, French Foreign Ministry said that the deal was "a first important step in the process of negotiations, which France fully supports, on the DPRK nuclear issue."

In Dublin, Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said that the pact was "a significant first step towards a return to a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula and towards normalizing relations in the region."

In Cape Town, South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said that his country "welcomes the developments in this regard following negotiations in the six-party talks and looks forward to the implementation of terms of the agreement by all parties involved."

Japan, however, urged that the six parties should start working groups as soon as possible in accordance with the joint document reached at the end of this round of talks.

If the document can not be effectively implemented, it would be meaningless to make such a document, said Kenichiro Sasae, chief Japanese negotiator to the six-party talks, at the Japanese embassy in Beijing.

"The six parties should promptly turn the content of the document into actions," Sasae said.

Source: Xinhua