As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, I welcome this morning’s announcement that North Korea has at long last provided a declaration of its illicit nuclear program. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill deserves our gratitude for his diligent efforts to bring peace and security to the Korean Peninsula and beyond.

Congress must now begin the important process of closely reviewing the details of the declaration provided by the North Koreans. This is a good first step, but we must now ensure that North Korea lives up to its obligations and that our end goal—the complete and verifiable dismantlement of the North Korean nuclear program—is met.

While nuclear disarmament is of critical importance to American national security, there are legitimate concerns about removing North Korea from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. The Bush Administration must continue to press North Korea on the issue of Japanese abductions and not forget those who have suffered—and who continue to suffer—at the hands of the North Korean regime.

I am guardedly optimistic that the information provided today will allow the United States to move into a new era of relations with North Korea, and I look forward to playing a role in that process. 

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