North Korea urges US to change "biased" nuclear policy

The North's official mouthpiece, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), accused the United States of applying a double standard on countries in the nuclear non-proliferation issue.

"How can the Korean people cave in to the outsiders' pressure and give up the independent nuclear energy industry which they have built up for decades," KCNA said in a commentary Saturday.

"It is quite intolerable for the US to overlook nuclear issues of some countries, treating them in a friendly manner, and unconditionally reject some countries over nuclear issues, seeking its own interests."

North Korea, a self-declared nuclear power staying out of the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), has been locked in a standoff with the United States over its nuclear development program.

"The US should recognize the right of all countries to use nuclear technology for a peaceful purpose," the commentary said.

"It is our assertion that the DPRK (North Korea) should be treated the same way as those countries possessing nuclear weapons outside the NPT are done."

KCNA did not spell out the names of nations it was referring to, but its comments followed a recent agreement reached between the United States and India, which has also refused to joint the NPT, for nuclear energy cooperation.

In the agreement reached early this month in New Delhi, US President George W. Bush reversed a longstanding US policy by agreeing to sell sensitive nuclear technology to India even though New Delhi is not a party to the NPT.

Critics said the agreement would fuel a South Asia arms race or set a bad example for Israel, Iran, or North Korea.

Six-way talks -- which group the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan -- aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program have been stalled since November.

North Korea says it will not return to negotiations unless the United States lifted financial sanctions imposed against it over Pyongyang's alleged counterfeiting and money laundering activities.

After returning from his trip to China, South Korea's chief delegate to the talks, Chun Young-Woo, said Saturday the prospect of the six-party talks was "opaque."

"Chinese officials said yellow dust is blowing over the road toward the six-party talks," he told journalists, referring to storms blowing in from China's Gobi desert carrying sand and industrial pollution.

"There were few Chinese officials who were optimistic (over the possibility of the talks being resumed at an early date," he said.

"They expressed concern that even if the talks resume, there would be little progress to be made as long as North Korea and the United States stick to their current positions," he said.

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