“Every element of verification that we sought is included in this package,” said State Department Sean McCormack as he announced that North Korea had been removed from the U.S. terrorism blacklist. “It’s an important point. Every single thing that we sought going in is part of this package,” McCormack told reporters.

Earlier, U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill, representing the powers in the negotiations, told AFP that the deal had been reached during an October 1-3 visit to Pyongyang.

The agreement on verification measures paved the way for the U.S. government to strike North Korea from its terror blacklist.

The team led by Hill agreed with the North Koreans that the verification steps will “apply to the plutonium-based program and any uranium enrichment and proliferation activities,” the official said on the condition of anonymity.

Hill and his counterparts also agreed that experts from all six parties — the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia — “may participate in verification activities, including experts from non-nuclear states,” he said.

They also agreed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) “will have an important consultative and support role in verification” the official added.

Under the deal, “experts will have access to all declared facilities and, based on mutual consent, to undeclared sites,” he said. There was also “agreement on the use of scientific procedures, including sampling and forensic activities,” according to the official who later released the details in a statement to journalists covering the State Department.

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