Forex

Foreign ministers from wealthy nations welcomed North Korea's long-awaited declaration of its nuclear capabilities but warned Friday there remains a long way to go before the isolated Stalinist state can rejoin the international community. The North Korean declaration was the core topic as the Group of Eight ministers met Friday morning for their second and final day of talks aimed at setting the political agenda for the annual G-8 summit next month.

Also on the table were Iran's nuclear program, the presidential runoff elections in Zimbabwe and the Mideast peace process. Pyongyang on Thursday handed over a declaration of its nuclear programs and activities to China.

Washington immediately responded by saying it would lift some trade sanctions and move to take Pyongyang off its terrorism blacklist. The G-8 ministers, however, stressed the declaration was just one step in what will be a long and difficult verification process.

"We agreed on the importance of thoroughly examining the declaration for the sake of achieving nuclear abandonment, which is the final goal," said Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura. Washington's welcoming of the North Korean declaration was tempered by strong concerns in Japan that pressure must be maintained toward resolving questions over North Korea's abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 80s.

North Korea has admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens, presumably to train spies in Japanese language and culture. Pyongyang released five of them in 2002, saying the remaining eight had died, but Japan is demanding proof of the deaths and an investigation into other suspected abductions.

"The abduction issue is not only Japan's problem, but it is also a humanitarian and human rights issue that the entire international community shares," Komura said. Japan is also especially cautious because it feels the North Korean nuclear threat directly the country is well within range of North Korea's ballistic missiles.

Komura said he would have preferred a broader declaration from Pyongyang, particularly regarding its nuclear stockpile. On Iran, the ministers agreed on the need for both "dialogue and pressure" to persuade Tehran to abandon its uranium enrichment program.

Iran says the program is peaceful, but the United States and others fear it could be used to produce nuclear weapons. The European Union this week froze the assets of Iran's largest bank over Tehran's refusal to back off uranium enrichment.

Iran has yet to formally respond to a package of trade and economic incentives to make a deal. The offers were made June 14 by the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany.

On other topics, the ministers from the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Russia and Canada said they would step up efforts to stabilize Afghanistan's lawless frontier and called on the government of Hamid Karzai to do more to fight corruption. In a joint statement, the ministers urged countries bordering Afghanistan including Pakistan and Iran to also help Kabul.

The statement came after Pakistan's new government vowed to prevent attacks on Afghanistan but insisted foreign forces would not be allowed to operate on Pakistani soil. The G-8 foreign ministers also pledged to continue aid for reconstruction in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar, but called on the ruling junta to improve transparency in its receipt of international help.