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North Korea's Choe Su Hon prepares to speak at the U.N. General Assembly.

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• Text of agreement

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AGREEMENT HIGHLIGHTS

•North Korea to give up nuclear weapons and nuclear programs, return at an early date to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and submit to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

•U.S. declares it has no nuclear arms on the Korean peninsula, no intention to attack or invade North Korea.

•South Korea reaffirms it won't deploy nuclear weapons, affirms it has none on its territory.

•China, Russia, South Korea, the U.S. and Japan agree to discuss "at an appropriate time" giving North a light-water nuclear reactor.

•North Korea, U.S. pledge to respect each other's sovereignty, coexist peacefully, work to normalize relations.

•North Korea, Japan agree to work to normalize ties.

•China, Russia, South Korea, Japan and the U.S. to give North Korea energy assistance.

Source: The Associated Press

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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- North Korea wants the United States to provide light-water nuclear reactors "as soon as possible" to demonstrate Pyongyang's right to peaceful nuclear acitivities, North Korea's deputy foreign minister said Thursday.

Speaking in the U.N. General Assembly, Choe Su Hon said, "What is most essential at this stage is for the United States to provide light-water nuclear reactors to the DPRK as soon as possible as evidence proving the former's substantial recognition of the latter's right to peaceful nuclear activities.

"We will watch closely to see how the United States will move in actuality at the phase of 'action for action.'"

While Choe mentioned the agreement reached Monday at six-party talks in Beijing, he said nothing about North Korea's pledge under that agreement to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons in return for energy and security guarantees.

North Korea's call for light-water reactors at this stage has raised questions about its desire to stick to the agreement.

U.S. officials have downplayed North Korea's statements in recent days. On Tuesday, Condoleeza Rice speaking at the United Nations, said, "I think we will just stick with the text of the Beijing agreement to which the North Koreans signed on."

Choe repeated his government's position that it is its goal to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and that the North Korean pursuit of nuclear weapons is "a direct product of the United States' hostile policy" towards his country, which is formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

On Tuesday, Rice told reporters at the United Nations: "The text of the agreement says that we'll discuss a light-water reactor at an appropriate time. There were several statements afterwards that make clear what that sequence is."

She said those steps included: North Korea abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, returning to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and abiding by International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, whose country took part in the six-party talks that led to the agreement, said on Tuesday: "The text was very carefully agreed upon and it was the subject of very difficult compromises, but it clearly sets forth the consistency of the steps which have to be taken so that we might talk about cooperation in the development of nuclear energy in North Korea."

He added, "The most important thing now is to see to it that this agreement be carried out in practice, and this involves a great deal of work ahead and we hope that it will begin soon."

Rice met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing Tuesday in New York. According to U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, "Both agreed that the agreement signed in Beijing by the six parties was the binding text for parties, including on the question of light-water reactors."

On Monday North Korea agreed to give up its entire nuclear program, including weapons -- a landmark agreement that was announced in a joint statement from the six-party talks in Beijing.

The joint statement said North Korea had "committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs" and had agreed to return to the NPT and to abide by safeguards established by the IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.

The statement also said that North Korea stated that it has the right to "peaceful uses of nuclear energy." (Full statement)

The agreement came on what was the seventh day of the fourth round of six-party talks. A fifth round of talks has been scheduled for November.

As part of the agreement, the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea "stated their willingness" to provide energy assistance to North Korea, as well as to promote economic cooperation.

The World Food Program has said that North Korea is headed toward the worst humanitarian food crisis since the mid 1990s, when an estimated 1 million North Koreans died. It said 6.5 million North Koreans desperately need food aid. (U.N. to end food aid to N. Korea)

North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors out of the country nearly three years ago, and it has since said it has a nuclear weapon and continues to pursue producing more.

The United States, along with the four other nations involved in the talks, has said the Korean peninsula must not have nuclear weapons.

N Korea: U.S. reactors 'essential'

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