United Nations, Oct 01: Hardening its stand in the face of US pressure, North Korea has blamed Washington for the latest standoff and threatened to pull out of nuclear talks unless the US takes "simultaneous" action on its demands, including signing a Non-Aggression Treaty. In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, vice Foreign Minister Choe Syu Hon asserted that it would not return to talks aimed at resolving the nuclear crisis unless the United States takes "simultaneous action" on its demands. North Korea says the United States must sign a Non- Aggression Treaty, provide it with economic aid and establish diplomats ties simultaneously as Pyongyang dismantles its nuclear weapons programme. Washington says it must dismantle its weapons programme first. "Simultaneous action is the realistic way of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and any opposition to it is tantamount to the refusal of denuclearization," he said.
"All developments concerning the nuclear issue well prove that pressure can never be means for settlement of the nuclear issue and multi-party talks can be fruitful only when abandonment of policy hostile to DRPK (North Korea) is committed. We just want both sides to drop guns simultaneously and coexist peacefully," Choe said.

He was referring to six-party talks involving the United States, Chisna, Russia, Japan and two Koreas.

Bureau Report