North Korea is set to blow up the cooling tower at its nuclear plant on Friday, a symbolic move to show its commitment to a disarmament deal a day after it handed over a long-delayed account of its nuclear programme.
Global powers still need to verify the claims Pyongyang made in its atomic inventory and experts say the dramatic event will leave unresolved questions about the North's declaration, such as accounting for its nuclear weaponry and proliferating technology.
The secretive North has invited in five foreign media outlets to witness the destruction of the tower, which is connected to its Soviet-era reactor. It is expected to come down in the afternoon local time.
Steam coming from the tower in spy satellite photographs has been the most visible sign of operations at the facility, designed to produce arms-grade plutonium.
"The problem is that they always feel that they can continue to game the system and appear to keep the window open - actions like blowing up cooling towers on TV for propaganda effect that I'm not sure have much practical effect," said Derek Mitchell, Asia expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Christopher Hill, the chief U.S. envoy to six-way talks on ending North Korea's nuclear programmes, said in Japan on Friday that all the parties have received a copy of the declaration and will now move to verify its contents.
U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday cautiously welcomed the declaration but warned North Korea, which tested a nuclear device in October 2006, that it faced "consequences" if it did not fully disclose its operations and continue to dismantle its nuclear programmes.
Responding to an unusual opening by the secretive communist state, Bush took a step towards removing North Korea from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism and issued a proclamation lifting some sanctions under the Trading with the Enemy Act.
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