[JURIST] US President George W. Bush Thursday announced plans [statement] to remove North Korea [JURIST news archive] from a State Department list of terror sponsors [text]. The move comes after the North Korean government presented China with a detailed report outlining its nuclear energy and weapons programs, in accordance with international efforts to end its nuclear ambitions. Other sanctions against North Korea, including those imposed by the UN Security Council [JURIST report], will remain in place. The New York Times has more. AP has additional coverage.

In February 2007, North Korea agreed [JURIST report] to end its nuclear weapons program, shut down and seal any reactors, and completely declare the extent of its nuclear activities in exchange for 50,000 tons of heavy fuel. International efforts to end North Korea's nuclear programs have taken place in the context of the Six-Party Talks [US State Department backgrounder], a group that includes North Korea, South Korea, the US, Russia, Japan, and China. The group has also focused on normalizing US-North Korean relations, relations between Japan and North Korea [JURIST news archive], peace and security in northeast Asia, energy and the economy, and the status of North Korea's de-nuclearization. AFP has more.