UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed on Thursday the adoption of a declaration to advance peace, security and prosperity on the Korean peninsula by the leaders of North and South Korea, according to dpa. South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il signed the Declaration on the Advancement of South-North Korean Relations, Peace and Prosperity on Thursday at the conclusion of a historic three-day summit in Pyongyang. They agreed to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, end military hostility and establish a permanent peace treaty to replace the armistice which ended the 1950-53 Korean War during the second inter- Korean summit. "The secretary general commends the two leaders' commitment to expand and advance inter-Korean relations, as well as to move towards permanent peace on a non-nuclear nuclear peninsula through increased bilateral dialogue, cooperation and multilateral diplomacy including the six-party talks," he said in a statement. "The UN stands ready to provide assistance as may be required, in cooperation with the international community," he said.
