The head of the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog has welcomed US President Donald Trump's joint statement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said his agency "stands ready to undertake any verification activities in (North Korea) that it may be requested to conduct by the countries concerned."
He noted that the Trump-Kim statement signed Tuesday in Singapore includes a North Korean commitment "towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
Amano says the IAEA "will closely follow the negotiations to be held between the two countries to implement the outcomes" of Trump's summit with Kim.
After the summit, Trump and Kim pledged to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula while Washington committed to providing security guarantees for its old enemy.
The joint statement signed at the end of their historic summit in Singapore gave few details on how either goal would be achieved but Trump fleshed out some details at a news conference.
"President Trump committed to provide security guarantees to the DPRK and Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said the statement.
DPRK is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the formal name of North Korea.
Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of setting peace and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula as the clear goals of the Singapore summit.
The UN chief said experts from the IAEA could help verify that North Korea has indeed scrapped its nuclear program, if the parties request their assistance.
"The world is closely watching what will take place in Singapore in a few hours' time," Guterres told reporters hours ahead of the historic meeting.
"The two leaders are seeking to break out of the dangerous cycle that created so much concern last year."
"Peace and verifiable denuclearization must remain the clear and shared goal," he added.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un discussed on Tuesday demands for Pyongyang to scrap its missile and nuclear programs during the meeting, the first ever between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader.
Guterres said: "the road ahead will require cooperation, compromise and a common cause".
"There will be inevitable ups and downs, moments of disagreement and tough negotiations."
The UN chief called for donor contributions to a humanitarian appeal of $111 million to help six million North Koreans in need of aid and stressed the importance of improving respect for human rights in the country.
After North Korea last month invited foreign journalists to witness the closure of its Pungyye-ri nuclear test site, Guterres complained that international experts should have been there.
