N. Korea Rejects Nuclear Talks, Cites Fear of U.S. Attack
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UNITED NATIONS — North Korea rejected further talks on its nuclear program and blamed the breakdown in negotiations directly on the American government yesterday, saying Washington wants to rule the world.
Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon said in his speech to the U.N.General Assembly that American financial sanctions, imposed shortly after a joint statement was issued at six-nation talks on the communist North’s nuclear program on September 19, 2005, had convinced Pyongyang that the negotiations were not worth pursuing.
“It is quite preposterous that the DPRK, under the groundless U.S. sanctions, takes part in the talks on discussing its own nuclear abandonment,” Mr. Choe said, referring to North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. He said it was a matter of principle “that cannot tolerate even the slightest concession.”
Mr. Choe claimed North Korea has developed nuclear weapons as a deterrent solely for self-defense against pre-emptive strikes by America and was eager, in principle, to hold talks, but that Washington’s “vicious, hostile policy” made talks unacceptable. Washington has denied it has any plans to attack North Korea.
