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UN ready to support process of North Korea’s denuclearization - Secretary General

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called the summit "a promising development for global peace and security"

THE UNITED NATIONS, June 11. /TASS/. Relevant bodies of the United Nations system are ready to provide support to the process of North Korea’s denuclearization, as well as to secure peaceful uses of Pyongyang’s nuclear materials, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told reporters on Monday.

Commenting on the coming summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Guterres called the summit "a promising development for global peace and security" and pointed out that "the two leaders need to be credited for the courage with which they decided to move forward with the summit."

Nevertheless, he warned that "the road ahead will require cooperation, compromise and a common cause."

"Relevant parts of the United Nations system stand ready to support this process in any way, including verification if requested by the key parties. They are the protagonists," Guterres said. "The International Atomic Energy Agency has a mandate to apply safeguards on all nuclear material in peaceful use, including all material removed from military programs."

"The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organization could also play an important role in monitoring the DPRK’s announced moratorium on nuclear explosive tests," he said.

The UN Secretary General also drew attention to the humanitarian situation in North Korea, calling on donors to allocate $111 million for six million people in need. In addition, he urged to improve the human rights situation in that country.

The first-ever talks between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader will take place in the Capella Hotel located on Singapore’s Sentosa Island. Both Trump and Kin Jong Un have already arrived in Singapore. The talks are expected to focus on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

On Monday, the North Korean state-run news agency KCNA said that both leaders would discuss establishment of a new relationship between North Korea and the US and the structure of permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.