The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) submitted a list of its nuclear program to China on Thursday, paving the way for its removal from the US' list of "terror" states.

A satellite image of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex with the reactor's cooling tower (circled) and a view of the tower as seen from the ground (R) are pictured in this undated combination photo released by South Korea's Yonhap news agency in Seoul June 26, 2008. [Agencies]

The DPRK ambassador to China Choe Jin-Su handed over the document to Vice-Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who is also China's chief negotiator at the Six-Party Talks.

China said the development is "conducive" to the Six-Party Talks' goal of making the Korean Peninsula nuclear free.

The declaration is a step forward for the DPRK to get economic and energy aid from the five other countries in the Six-Party Talks - China, the US, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan and Russia.

Wu said the six countries had agreed that the declaration would have to be verified and that there was consensus among them on a set of principles to guide the establishment of a verification regime.

"The talks have made positive progress in the second-phase implementation of the joint statement because of the concerted efforts of all the parties," Wu said.

"We believe the developments will be conducive to implementing the second phase in a comprehensive and balanced manner, and the final realization of all the goals of the September 19, 2005, joint statement," he said.

The US responded with a statement welcoming the declaration but stressed that it needed to be verified.