LEADERS of the Group of Eight industrialised nations today urged North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons and cooperate in the verification of its dossier of nuclear programs.
The G8 welcomed North Korea`s declaration last month of its nuclear activities, saying it was "long overdue".
"Comprehensive verification of the declaration is of utmost importance," the G8 said at their summit in northern Japan.
"We urge the DPRK to fully cooperate in the verification process, including its effective implementation," the G8 said, using the North`s official name.
"We also emphasise the importance of swift disablement of all existing nuclear facilities and the abandonment of all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs by the DPRK."
North Korea tested a nuclear weapon in October 2006.
Addressing a key concern of summit host Japan, the G8 also called for North Korea to take action in a row over its abductions of Japanese. The G8 called for the "resolution of the outstanding issues of concern such as the abduction issue".
North Korea kidnapped at least 13 Japanese civilians in the 1970s and 1980s to train its spies in Japanese language and culture.
It returned five of them in 2002 and said the rest were dead.
Japan insists more are alive and has refused to normalise relations or provide significant aid to the impoverished state as a result.
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