- News>
- World
North Korea threatened to test nuclear weapon: US Officials
Washington, Aug 29: North Korea threatened at six-nation talks in Beijing to formally declare itself a nuclear power and conduct a nuclear test, US officials said.
Washington, Aug 29: North Korea threatened at six-nation talks in Beijing to formally declare itself a nuclear power and conduct a nuclear test, US officials said.
North Korea's envoy to the talks, Kim Yong-Il, made the declaration in front of the US delegation and envoys from Russia, China, South Korea and Japan on talks on the 10
month-old nuclear crisis, two officials said.
"We are taking it seriously but they have said these kind of things before," said one of the officials on condition of anonymity.
North Korea also reportedly threatened to prove it had the means to deliver a nuclear weapons with a missile test. State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker refused in his daily briefing to provide any specifics on the discussions in Beijing.
But he reiterated the central, non-negotiable demand of the United States at the talks.
"There needs to be a complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of the north korean nuclear weapons programs." A Japanese official in Beijing said earlier that tempers rose among the North Korean delegation on the second day of the talks.
"The North Korean side got hot, but stopped short of getting over-excited," said the official, who noted the "harsh" words sometimes chosen by the delegates from Pyongyang during Thursday's session.
Bureau Report
"We are taking it seriously but they have said these kind of things before," said one of the officials on condition of anonymity.
North Korea also reportedly threatened to prove it had the means to deliver a nuclear weapons with a missile test. State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker refused in his daily briefing to provide any specifics on the discussions in Beijing.
But he reiterated the central, non-negotiable demand of the United States at the talks.
"There needs to be a complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of the north korean nuclear weapons programs." A Japanese official in Beijing said earlier that tempers rose among the North Korean delegation on the second day of the talks.
"The North Korean side got hot, but stopped short of getting over-excited," said the official, who noted the "harsh" words sometimes chosen by the delegates from Pyongyang during Thursday's session.
Bureau Report