North Korea has twice before halted nuclear enrichment activity, only to break the seals later (in 2002 and 2009) and restart production. But the agreement to also halt nuclear tests and long-range missile tests is very significant.
Curious to see what effect, if any, the death of Kim Jong-Il and ascendancy of Jong-un had to do with this.
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/...
The United States said on Wednesday that North Korea had agreed to implement a moratorium on nuclear tests, long-range missile launches and nuclear activities including enrichment at its Yongbyon nuclear complex and to allow U.N. nuclear watchdog inspectors in to ensure compliance.
The State Department said that the United States in return had agreed to finalize details of a proposed food aid package and to take other steps to improve bilateral ties.
"The United States still has profound concerns regarding North Korean behavior across a wide range of areas, but today's announcement reflects important, if limited, progress in addressing some of these," a State Department statement said.
Separately, the North's KCNA news agency confirmed Pyongyang had agreed to a moratorium on nuclear tests, long-range missile launches and enrichment of uranium at its Yongbyon nuclear facility.
Worth noting, after acts of provocation in 2009 regarding the testing of missiles and the May 25 nuclear test...President Obama secured from the UN Security Council (read China & Russia)
tough new sanctions, including a resolution that gave real teeth to the Arms Embargo allowing the interception of suspected arms shipments to rogue nations like Iran, Syria, and Burma.
One may remember the incident in which the destroyer USS McCain trailed a North Korean freighter suspected of bringing weapons to the Burmese junta, more or less forcing it to turn back. As well as the detention in Thailand of a large Ilyushin cargo plane carrying tons and tons of missiles and heavy weapons destined for the Middle East (most likely Iran.) Those and other successes against North Korean arms trafficking helped reduce what had been an important illegal revenue stream for the regime (as well as cutting off a source of weapons for other dictators.) This President's rigid and forceful enforcement of the Arms Embargo stood in stark contrast to his predecessor, who let at least one major arms shipment through to help his misguided policies in Somalia.
One small, effective part of the toughest-ever sanctions package pushed by President Obama against the North Korean regime for its activities as a nuclear proliferator.
Hopefully, this is a preview of the kind of progress that can be made in the short-term with the leadership in Iran.