Seoul, Aug 21: North Korea today accused the United States of plotting a collapse in next week's six-nation nuclear talks to push the regional crisis to the United Nations. The North's government newspaper warned unless Washington's "hostile policy" on Pyongyang changed, there would be no success at the three-day talks due to open in Beijing on August 27.
"The US makes the breakdown of the six-party talks an established fact when the talks are yet to open, and sets forth its next action programme," it said. It blasted as a "crazy claim" American statements that the issue could be taken to the UN Security Council if the multilateral talks end in failure.
"This is an intolerable mockery of, and challenge to, the expectation of the international community which desires so ardently a positive settlement of the nuclear issue," it said. North's ruling Communist Party newspaper said in a separate commentary that the communist state "has so far made every sincere effort for the negotiated peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue”.
But the United States, said the paper, has teamed up with South Korea to increase tensions in recent weeks ahead of the talks, citing a joint military drill which began earlier this week in South Korea.
North Korea has toughened its stance ahead of the Chinese-hosted six-way talks which will include the United States, Russia, Japan and South Korea to resolve the 10-month stand-off over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons drive. Bureau Report