Singapore - North Korea signed on Thursday a non-aggression pact with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) as Asia's main security forum pressed for full denuclearization of the hermetic state.

North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun inked the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation following the annual meetings of the 27-country ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

While delegates watched, Pak signed the document and turned it over to Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, the outgoing ASEAN chairman.

The applause over North Korea's accession to the treaty was a contrast to the ARF's chairman's statement which welcomed a June account of its nuclear weapons programme but emphasized "the need to verify its completeness and correctness."

The foreign ministers also stressed the importance of the early establishment of an effective "verification mechanism with the IAEA playing a leading role."

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said North Korea's declaration still left a lot of questions unanswered, particularly over US suspicions of a uranium enrichment programme.

"Nobody is going to trust the North Korean number they have given on plutonium they made," she said on Wednesday.

Pak assured his counterparts that Pyongyang is willing to fulfill its obligations to an agreement in 2005 that outlines the demobilization of North Korea's nuclear programme as long as other parties fulfill their own commitments.

North Korea's nuclear programme was a serious concern for the ASEAN which includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, which was signed in 1976, requires signatories to renounce the use or threat of force and calls for the peaceful settlements of conflicts.

Aside from the 10 ASEAN countries who signed the agreement, 11 other countries outside the regional grouping have signed the pact.

ASEAN foreign ministers welcomed North Korea's signing of the non-aggression pact, noting it was a strong signal of deep commitment to peace and security in the region.

They expressed hope other countries in the region would also sign the agreement.

"We called upon other countries, particularly our dialogue partners and other interested parties, to consider acceding to TAC," the ministers said. (dpa)