N. Korea balks at U.S. nuclear plan

Phoenix Herald Monday 15th December, 2003

North Korea has turned down a U.S.-backed proposal to end the crisis over its nuclear program, the BBC reported Monday.

The country's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the United States was not ready to make concessions simultaneously and still wants the North to move first.

The statement appeared to dash any hope of resuming six-nation talks on the crisis this month.

The newspaper said Pyongyang objected to the U.S. demand for verification of a North Korean agreement to scrap its nuclear program before talks could take place.

There had been hopes talks would begin this week, but a senior U.S. official said North Korea's insistence on pre-conditions was delaying the process.

North Korea has demanded a formal non-aggression treaty guaranteeing the United States will not attack it.

The first round of talks among the United States, the two Koreas, China, Russia, and Japan were held in Beijing in August.

They failed to end the stalemate which began in October 2002, when Washington accused Pyongyang of running an enriched uranium program in violation of a 1994 treaty.