DPRK criticizes US 'hardline position'

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea formally proposed to its five negotiating partners yesterday that it abolish its nuclear program, but hours later denounced the United States' hostile attitude toward Pyongyang.

Washington said it saw no progress in the DPRK's latest offer.

At a hastily arranged press gathering outside its embassy in Beijing, an unidentified spokesman read a statement saying North Korea would get rid of its atomic programs if Washington "abandons its hostile policy" and assures North Korea's security.

Those statements quashed earlier optimism generated when the DPRK proposed "the comprehensive stopping of nuclear activities" after South Korea said it would give energy aid to the power-starved country.

These were North Korea's first public comments since the second round of six-nation talks began on Wednesday in Beijing. The talks between the DPRK, the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea concern North Korea's nuclear ambitions and Washington's insistence that Pyongyang stand down.

After the DPRK's initial proposal, it said in the embassy statement that "the second round of six-nation talks is not making progress because of the United States' hardline position."

"We will abandon our nuclear weapons program when the United States drops its hostile policy toward North Korea. The United States should take all the responsibility for the meeting not making progress," the statement said.

In Washington, a US official familiar with the talks said North Korea has shown no interest in meeting the American insistence on a complete and verifiable dismantling of its nuclear weapons programs.

But he said the tone of the six-nation meeting this week has been far less confrontational than the first and only previous round, which occurred last August in Beijing.

North Korea did propose "the comprehensive stopping of nuclear activities," a Chinese government spokesman said.

"The various parties welcomed the proposition from the North Korean side for the comprehensive stopping of nuclear activities," Chinese spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a briefing. "As for the details and specific arrangements for stopping the nuclear activities, it is still being discussed among the various parties."

South Korea's deputy foreign minister and its chief delegate to the talks, Lee Soo-hyuck, said that China and Russia agreed yesterday to help Seoul provide energy aid to North Korea.

Such assistance could be delivered only after Pyongyang guaranteed that a freeze on its nuclear program would lead to dismantlement, he said, without specifying what form the energy aid would take. Russia agreed in principle to offer economic aid to the DPRK if it abolishes its nuclear programs, said Russian chief negotiator Alexander Losiukov yesterday at a news briefing.

The possibility of offering aid could be discussed with the government's approval, and Russia could offer oil and electricity aid to the DPRK, Losiukov said.

The second round of talks might result in a document that clearly states that the DPRK will abolish its nuclear weapon programs, and will receive security guarantee in return, he said.