- (AFP) -- North Korea adopted a hard line ahead of next
week's six party nuclear talks, rejecting a US demand for the complete,
verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its weapons drive.
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- North Korea instead demanded concessions from the United
States in return for a partial nuclear freeze.
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- "Nothing will be expected from the forthcoming talks
if the US persistently insists that the DPRK (North Korea) accept CVID
(complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling), a demand which can
be forced on a defeated country only," North Korea's foreign ministry
said.
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- The statement, carried by the official Korean Central
News Agency, monitored here, confirmed the next round of talks would begin
in Beijing on June 23 and said prospects for a successful outcome depended
on a change in the US position.
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- "The US attitude toward the DPRK-proposed 'reward
for freeze' will become a touchstone discerning the US real intention for
the settlement of the nuclear issue. The prospect of the settlement of
the issue entirely depends on the US," said the statement.
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- Two rounds of six-party talks held so far have ended
inconclusively, with North Korea offering to freeze its plutonium-producing
programme while denying it is running a uranium-based scheme.
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- In return North Korea demands an end to Washington's
"hostile" policy -- a reference to a security guarantee from
the US -- as well as economic aid.
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- Washington has maintained that North Korea must dismantle
its nuclear drive, including the alleged uranium-based progamme, before
it can receive concessions.
-
- "As we have declared on several occasions, it is
important for the US to abandon its policy for isolating and stifling the
DPRK and take a bold political decision to co-exist with the latter if
the six-party talks are to yield practical results and open a landmark
phase for the settlement of the nuclear issue between them," the statement
added.
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