United Nations, Jan 11: North Korea has no intention of returning to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty but would agree to let the united states verify that it is not producing nuclear weapons if Washington drops its hostile policies, the country's UN ambassador has said.

Hours after the North Korean government announced its immediate withdrawal from the 1968 global treaty, ambassador Pak Gil Yon told a news conference yesterday that the country will not develop nuclear weapons "at this moment." He wouldn't comment on whether North Korea already possesses one or two nuclear weapons and stressed that "future developments will entirely depend on the attitude of the US."

Pak said that North Korea plans to reactivate a nuclear reactor in the town of Yongbyon and complete construction of two other reactors, which will meet the country's energy and electricity demands "in the very near future." Activity at all three sites had been frozen under a 1994 energy deal with the United States which Pyongyang has canceled. North Korea blamed "the us vicious hostile policy" and an alleged "nuclear threat from the US side" for its decision to immediately pull out of the treaty, which has been ratified by 188 countries and is considered the cornerstone of international efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear arms.

Pak reiterated North Korea's desire for the nuclear issue to be resolved through "peaceful negotiations" between Pyongyang and Washington, and for a non-aggression treaty with the United States. He said the us decision to talk - but not negotiate - "is not a sincere attitude."
Pak made clear that his government, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, wanted no more dealings with the Vienna-based international atomic energy agency which monitors adherence to the NPT. He accused the atomic agency of being "a tool" to implement hostile US policies.
Bureau Report