The issuance on Monday of a joint statement in Beijing by representatives of the six nations that had taken up North Korea's nuclear-weapons programs has come as relief to those who have been watching the talks with both trepidation and expectation. If the talks had failed, the United States, one of the two main protagonists in the talks with North Korea, probably would have taken the issue to the United Nations Security Council to press for economic sanctions against the North, a move that could have further heightened tensions in East Asia. Although the six nations, which also include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia, have followup work to do, their patience in negotiating has been rewarded so far.

China's efforts as chair of the talks and the wisdom of the U.S. and Japan in compromising on North Korea's demand for a light-water nuclear reactor should be noted. As chief U.S. negotiator Mr. Christopher Hill said, "It is a big decision for them, but it is absolutely the right decision for them." If North Korea has emerged from the talks with the realization that its prosperity does not depend on nuclear weapons but instead on improved relations with other countries, as Mr. Hill also suggested, it will be something to heartily welcome.

In the joint statement, North Korea pledged to abandon its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and return at an early date to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards, while the U.S. made it clear that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea with nuclear or conventional weapons.