PYONGYANG, Jan. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday it will neither test nor produce nuclear weapons
and will freeze nuclear facilities even for peaceful use in "a bold
concession" to the United States.
"The DPRK is set to refrain from test and production of nuclear
weapons and stop even operating nuclear power industry for a peaceful
purpose as first-phase measures of the package solution," South Korea's
Yonhap News Agency quoted the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency
(KCNA) as reporting.
"This can not but be one more bold concession," the KCNA said.
In an article by the KCNA, the DPRK said the progress in the second
round of talks on its nuclear weapons program depends on whether the
United States will accept its demands for simultaneous action in which the
two sides address each other's concerns.
The DPRK's demands include Pyongyang's removal from Washington's list
of nations allegedly sponsoring terrorism, the lifting of sanctions and
the provision of energy aid, the KCNA said.
However, the US has refused to meet the DPRK's demands unless the
latter first agrees to a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling
of its nuclear weapons program.
"This shows that the U.S. is only keen on disarming the DPRK after
forcing it to scrap its nuclear program in utter disregard of its sincere
efforts to resume the six-way talks while failing to show any intention to
make a switchover in its policy toward the DPRK," KCNA said.
Such a persistent stand of the United States will destroy the
foundation of the dialogue and cast a dark shadow on the prospect of the
talks, it said.
"We must stress the preparations for the six-way talks should be
orientated toward reaching an agreement on the measures of the first-phase
action along with 'words-for-words' commitments," the KCNA said.
"Whether the next round of the six-way talks is put on the right
track or not entirely depends on the US approach to it," it said.
The DPRK demands the United States delist it as a sponsor of
terrorism, lift political, economic and military sanctions and blockade on
it, supply heavy oil, power and other energy resources to it.