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SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea accused the United States on Wednesday
of using diplomatic talks to try and take away its nuclear arms so that Washington
could crush the reclusive state with an atomic weapons strike.
The statement follows another by North Korea on Tuesday which threw into doubt
a six-country deal on giving up its nuclear arms, just one day after it was
struck.
In that statement the North vowed to keep the weapons until Washington provides
it with civilian atomic reactors.
In a commentary on Wednesday in its official communist party newspaper, Pyongyang
said Washington is waiting for a chance to attack it.
"Clear is the ulterior intention of the U.S. talking about settlement
of the nuclear issue through dialogue under the pretext of the six-party talks.
In a word, it is to disarm the DPRK and stifle it with nuke," the paper
said, according to a report carried on the official KCNA news agency.
DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic
of Korea.
The commentary said the North "will steadily strengthen its war deterrent
to defend national sovereignty and security with supreme vigilance".
The six countries agreed to a set of principles on Monday on winding up Pyongyang's
nuclear programs in return for economic aid and recognizing its right to a civilian
nuclear program.
The six agreed to discuss providing a light-water reactor "at an appropriate
time". Washington pledged not to attack the North.
Washington has insisted that North Korea must completely, irreversibly and
verifiably end its nuclear programs before consideration of a civilian nuclear
program could begin.
North Korea has often said it was forced to develop nuclear weapons to counter
what it saw as Washington's hostile policy toward it and has charged many times
that Washington was going to attack it.
South Korean newspaper editorials on Wednesday charged North Korea with backsliding
on the agreement to scrap its nuclear ambitions, saying Pyongyang has undermined
trust and cast doubt on the deal by seeking civilian reactors up front.
"If the North continues to make unreasonable demands, even before the
ink dries, no country will trust the North," the mainstream JoongAng Ilbo
said in an editorial.
"This is a position destroying the roots of the joint statement issued
only one day earlier (on Monday) at the six-country talks," it said.
South Korean government officials have said they will seek to mediate between
Pyongyang and Washington, and believe Seoul can help them overcome their differences
at the talks.
The United States, Japan and Russia told North Korea on Tuesday to stick to
the six-country agreement to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs.
China has asked all sides to fulfil their promises.