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DPRK tables proposal to freeze nuclear programs

PLA Daily 2004-02-27

BEIJING, Feb. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- An official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said here Thursday evening that the DPRK had proposed its stance to freeze its nuclear programs and criticized the hard-line position of the United States.

At a news briefing outside the compound of the DPRK Embassy in Beijing, the spokesman for the DPRK delegation said the six-party talks were held in a practical atmosphere on both Wednesday and Thursday, and the first-phase measures were discussed in a bid to realize the goal of resolving the nuclear issue.

He said the parties concerned had learned well each other's positions and the DPRK delegation had made it clear that "We will abandon our nuclear weapons program when the United States drops its hostile policy toward the DPRK."

The DPRK's proposal to freeze its nuclear weapons program as the first-phase measures to hit the goal should be followed by corresponding measures (adopted by the United States), he said.

However, the spokesman said, the United States, disregarding the DPRK's flexible stance, has, as always, insisted on its hard-line position that only after the DPRK's abolishes all the nuclear programs, including those for peaceful purposes, could the DPRK proposal be put to discussion.

It is because of the above-mentioned reasons that no breakthrough has been made during the talks, he said, adding that the DPRK will continue to make sincere efforts for solving the issue.

It was the DPRK's first public comment during the second round of the six-party talks.