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N. Korea: U.S. 'Hostile' Stance Endangers Further Talks

Associated Press
Published | Updated

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea (search) said Friday that prospects for another round of nuclear talks were in jeopardy because of inflexibility on the part of U.S. negotiators, a South Korean news agency reported.

"As the United States refuses to express intentions to switch over its hostile policy against North Korea, prospects for the next round of talks have fallen into danger," said KCNA, the North's news agency. KCNA was quoted by Yonhap, a South Korean agency.

The comments came at a six-nation meeting in China that included representatives of the United States, South Korea (search), China, Japan and Russia as well as North Korea. The meeting resumed Friday.

A U.S. government official said in Washington on Thursday that North Korea rejected U.S. disarmament plans, saying it will prove to the world that it possesses nuclear weapons (search) by carrying out a nuclear test.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il also said in Beijing that his country has the means to deliver nuclear weapons, an apparent reference to its highly developed missile program.

"The United States said that the next round of talks can continue if we express our willingness to give up our nuclear plans at this time," KCNA said.

"That means they plan to act after we dismantle," the agency said. It was unclear what North Korea meant by "act," though it could refer to the possibility of U.S. willingness to negotiate, or North Korean suspicions that Washington seeks to undermine the North through economic pressure or even military action.

"This kind of demand is beyond common sense. We cannot but point out the real intentions of the United States," the agency said.

"Through the six-way talks, it has become more clear that the United States is pursuing a hostile policy to stifle the DPRK and is seeking to dismantle us by pressure," KCNA said. DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.