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To: sciAticA errAticA who wrote (32715)	4/30/2003 9:27:33 AM
From: sciAticA errAticA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

KPDR will need "deterrent force" to counter US menace 30.04.2003 By Vasily Golovnin TOKYO, April 30 (Itar-Tass) - The North Korean foreign ministry declared on Wednesday that the U.S. menace was forcing Pyongyang to have its own "deterrent force". The foreign ministry's statement, which the Central Telegraph Agency of Korea had transmitted, says that the "actually existing situation compels the Korean People's Democratic Republic to counteract the growing U.S. steps to smother North Korea by means of physical strength". This is why, the document notes, Pyongyang "has to have a deterrent force to be used in case of need". The United States alleges that North Korea had notified the U.S. representatives during the recent consultations in Beijing that it already has one nuclear warhead and has fully processed eight thousand fuel rods, from which weapons-grade plutonium can be obtained. Pyongyang has not commented on those U.S. reports so far. North Korea has declared that any U.S. attempt to impose U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang would mean giving the green light to war. The report of the Central Telegraph Agency of Korea says that the recent meeting of North Korean, American and Chinese representatives in Beijing was "fruitless", because the United States had not displayed any desire to conduct "sincere talks", but is instead trying "to force North Korea to the knees". However, in the opinion of the Agency, the Beijing meeting was not "a complete flop". The Korean People's Democratic Republic, it said, is ready both for confrontation and for dialogue, wishing to "settle the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula by peaceful means". The United States, on the other hand, believes the latest North Korean proposals, which were tabled during the Beijing negotiations, can hardly help settle the crisis caused by its nuclear program. Secretary of State Colin Powell stated during the Tuesday hearings in the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs that Pyongyang had suggested similar ideas in the past, too. Nevertheless, he stated, the U.S. administration will study the North Korean initiatives, since this is in the interests of the U.S. friends, that is of some other countries, including South Korea and Japan. The Secretary of State did not go into the details of the North Korean proposals. He only noted that they touched on the ways to scrap its nuclear and, probably, missile programs. Judging by the pronouncements of some other American officials, the main difference is that Pyongyang agrees to negotiate on the freezing of its nuclear projects and to make other concessions only after it gets U.S. non-aggression guarantees. Powell noted that the United States would shortly continue close consultations with other countries, including within the U.N. Security Council, to decide on the joint steps that could be taken to settle the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Washington is determined to adhere to a multilateral approach to this problem and is still hoping to settle it by diplomatic means. At the same time, the Korean People's Democratic Republic and the Republic of Korea had agreed at the intra-Korean negotiations in Pyongyang to cooperate in the effort to settle the nuclear problem on the Korean Peninsula by peaceful means. This is indicated in their joint statement, which was published after the talks on Wednesday. The document notes that the discussion of the nuclear problem was difficult, but the sides were able to find a mutually acceptable approach to the problem. itar-tass.com