The draft accord commits North Korea to scrap all of its existing nuclear weapons and nuclear production facilities, to rejoin the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and to readmit international nuclear inspectors. North Korea withdrew from the treaty and expelled inspectors in 2002, after the United States accused it of violating a previous agreement to end its nuclear program.

The United States and North Korea also pledged to respect each other's sovereignty and right to peaceful coexistence and to work toward normalization of relations. The two countries have no full diplomatic relations and did not sign a peace treaty after the Korean War.

Washington declared as part of the agreement that it does not have any nuclear weapons at its bases in South Korea and that it "has no intention to attack or invade the D.P.R.K. with nuclear or conventional weapons." The D.P.R.K. stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's formal name.

The accord finessed what had been the biggest sticking point in the latest round of talks -- the light-water nuclear reactor -- by leaving it to be resolved in future discussions. North Korea demanded throughout the week-long session that the international community agree to provide it with a light-water reactor before it took steps to dismantle its nuclear program.

The United States firmly rejected that demand, though it did not rule out the possibility that the North could retain some kind of civilian nuclear program down the road if it abandoned its weapons program.

The statement said North Korea claimed the right to pursue "peaceful uses of nuclear energy." Mr. Hill said he expected that a light-water reactor would cost $2 billion to $3 billion and would take a decade to build. While a light-water reactor does not produce fuel for atomic weapons the way the North's existing modified-graphite reactors do, American officials have said it still raises proliferation risks and cannot be a first step in arranging the nuclear disarmament of the country.

North Korea has said it requires the new nuclear plant to provide electricity. But Mr. Hill said building a new nuclear plant would be an inefficient way of boosting electricity supplies. He said the North considers a civilian nuclear plant a "trophy."