Home>News Center>World
         
 

N.Korea vows to boost deterrent, US rejects demand
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-10-24 11:02

North Korea threatened on Saturday to double the size of its nuclear deterrent and the United States rejected its conditions for a resumption of talks, leaving the two nations in a dangerous stalemate.

A day after North Korea set three conditions for returning to six-party talks on its nuclear programs, it warned Washington to drop its "hostile policy" aimed at unseating the DPRK leadership or face a more potent atomic arsenal.

"If the United States persistently pursues its confrontational hostile policy toward the DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) from the viewpoint of escapism, it will only compel the DPRK to double its deterrent force," the main newspaper in North Korea said in a commentary published by the official KCNA news agency.

North Korea has never said how many nuclear weapons it has and usually refers ambiguously to its "deterrent force." U.S. officials say the North could have between two and eight weapons.

On Friday, North Korea said it would consider returning to the talks if Washington drops its hostile policy, is prepared to join a compensation package in return for the North freezing its programs and allows discussion on South Korea nuclear experiments.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who is in the region seeking to revive negotiations, said the demands could be addressed in the six-party talks, which also include China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

But he ruled out considering improving a U.S. proposal until North Korea, which has refused to return to the talks since June, shows what it will give in exchange at the negotiating table.

"Any outstanding issues that are holding up the progress should be dealt with in the context of the (six-party) discussions, not by press statements or rhetoric going back and forth," Powell told reporters on his plane en route to Tokyo.

The United States has offered compensatory aid -- from South Korea and Japan rather than Washington -- in return for a freeze as a first step to Pyongyang dismantling its atomic projects.

The United States has been leading slow-moving negotiations since the latest nuclear crisis erupted two years ago when its diplomats said North Korea admitted it was running a covert uranium enrichment program. Pyongyang has since denied this.

ELECTION UNCERTAINTY

On his first trip to the region for 18 months, Powell will also visit China and South Korea and seek to convince his negotiation partners the Bush administration will remain committed to the talks.

But some senior U.S. officials have misgivings about the talks and would prefer to confront and isolate North Korea and presidential Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry has criticized the administration's mixed signals.

Pyongyang has suggested Powell's trip is merely to keep up the appearance during President Bush's reelection campaign that he is committed to the six-party talks.

Washington suspects Pyongyang is stalling to wait for the outcome of the Nov. 2 election because Kerry favors bilateral talks, which North Korea hopes would lead to more concessions.

The North Korean commentary on Saturday said the root cause of the hostile U.S. policy was that Washington wanted to retain military influence in the region.

The United States holds an international naval exercise in the region next week aimed at stifling any North Korean proliferation.

In a separate report on Saturday, KCNA listed what it said was South Korea's secret nuclear weapons developments over decades. Seoul denies having such a program.

Pyongyang said South Korea was seeking to build a nuclear submarine as part of what it calls Seoul's nuclear-arms scheme and urged it to drop the plan immediately, South Korea's Yonhap News reported on Saturday.

South Korea has denied the submarine plan, which was first raised early this year.



 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

BHP: China, India will sustain global economy

 

   
 

China to launch solar telescope in 2008

 

   
 

Iraq blasts kill 22; US troops ambushed

 

   
 

Bush and Kerry trade barbs over security

 

   
 

Rural dwellers get better medicare service

 

   
 

Deepening reform after coal mine accident

 

   
  Powell spurns N. Korea demand on talks
   
  Quakes hit Japan; 3 dead, over 300 injured
   
  Suicide car bomb kills 16 Iraq policemen
   
  Bush, Kerry turn campaigning into a zoo
   
  US forces bomb Falluja, seize Zarqawi aide
   
  Kyoto Protocol clears key hurdle in Russia
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  News Talk  
  Are the Republicans exploiting the memory of 9/11?  
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 妇女性内射冈站HDWWWCOM| 欧美精品一区二区三区免费观看 | 日韩精品无码久久一区二区三| 亚洲精品无码不卡在线播放| 精品少妇无码AV无码专区| 福利一区二区三区视频午夜观看 | 18女人腿打开无遮挡网站| 成人毛片免费网站| 久久精品国产清高在天天线| 欧美日韩a级片| 人人妻人人玩人人澡人人爽| 精品国产综合区久久久久久| 国产一级大片免费看| 黄色网站小视频| 国产精品久久久久久久久| 91福利视频一区| 天天操天天干天天拍| 万古战神txt下载| 无码一区二区三区在线观看| 久久精品日日躁夜夜躁欧美| 欧洲精品一卡2卡三卡4卡乱码| 亚洲日韩精品国产一区二区三区| 狠狠色综合久久婷婷色天使| 六月婷婷在线视频| 美女大胸又爽又黄网站| 国产一区二区电影| 苍井空浴缸大战猛男120分钟| 国产又黄又爽视频| 黑人巨大精品播放| 国产无遮挡又黄又爽在线观看| 青青操免费在线视频| 国产精品无码无卡无需播放器 | 欧美人与物videos另类xxxxx | 黄色a级片电影| 国产成人精品免费久久久久| 日韩精品一区二区三区老鸭窝| 国产精品沙发午睡系列999| 7777久久亚洲中文字幕| 国产精品青青青高清在线观看| 91麻豆久久久| 国精品无码一区二区三区在线 |