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| Tuesday, 19 August 2003 |
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N.Korea talks tough on atomic bombs ahead of talks SEOUL, Monday (Reuters) North Korea said on Monday unless the United States changed its policy toward Pyongyang it would use next week's six-way talks in Beijing to declare it could not dismantle its nuclear weapons. The North's official KCNA news agency said North Korea would consider Washington had altered its stance only if it agreed to sign a non-aggression pact, establish diplomatic ties and make clear it would not hinder Pyongyang's foreign trade. "If the U.S. does not express its will to make a switchover in its policy towards the DPRK (North Korea) the DPRK will have no option but to declare that it cannot dismantle its nuclear deterrent force at the talks," KCNA said. The conditions set out by KCNA echoed those in a lengthy North Korean Foreign Ministry statement last week and were not new even then. But KCNA, whose words carry official weight, appeared to be applying pre-talks pressure by saying the North might say it could not dismantle its atomic deterrent. Talks between North Korea, the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea are set to start on August 27 to try to find a way to end a stand-off over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. China's Xinhua news agency said a high-ranking Chinese military delegation left for Pyongyang on Monday for a "goodwill" visit ahead of the talks. The trip, led by General Xu Caihou of the commanding Central Military Commission, follows one earlier this year to Beijing by Jo Myong-rok, the number two in command of North Korea's military, it said without further details. Analysts said Jo's visit on the eve of talks in April between Pyongyang and Washington on the nuclear crisis was an important signal that North Korea was intent on getting a security guarantee, which Beijing supports, in return for dropping its ambitions to possess nuclear weapons. |
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