N.Korea hands over nuclear report

WASHINGTON-North Korea handed over a long-delayed account of its nuclear activities on Thursday, a step that will bring the isolated communist state relief from U.S. sanctions but left questions about its atomic ambitions.U.S. President George W. Bush cautiously welcomed the action, but warned North Korea, which tested a nuclear device two years ago, that it faced consequences if it did not fully disclose its operations and continue to dismantle its nuclear program."If North Korea makes the wrong choices, the United States and our partners in the six-party talks will respond accordingly," he said at the White House in Washington shortly after the declaration was handed over to China."If they do not fully disclose and end their plutonium, their enrichment and their proliferation efforts and activities, there will be further consequences," said Bush, who once branded North Korea part of an "axis of evil."He quickly took a step aimed at removing North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, which will take 45 days, and issued a proclamation lifting sanctions under the U.S. Trading with the Enemy Act.Bush also welcomed an announcement by North Korea that it would blow up the cooling tower at Yongbyon, its main nuclear complex, but said these were all initial steps by the reclusive communist country and more work was required.In an unprecedented move, North Korea has invited some Western media to record the event."This isn't the end of the process, this is the beginning of the process," Bush said, and added Pyongyang's current actions would not in themselves end North Korea's international isolation.

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