PYONGYANG, October 4 (Itar-Tass) — North Korea makes “sincere efforts to resume six-way talks” and is ready to implement agreements on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula “on the principles of synchronous actions” on the basis of the Joint Statement of September 19, 2005, a commentary of the Korean Central News Agency said on Tuesday.
However, “the United States insistently demands that we act first,” it noted. The speech at the U.N. General Assembly session on September 21 of U.S. President Barack Obama, who believes “North Korea makes no concrete moves towards giving up nuclear weapons,” testifies to that, KCNA said.
“If the implementation of preliminary conditions is needed for the resumption of six-way talks, they must be binding on an equal basis for all participants,” the news agency said.
The stance of the USA, which demands the implementation by North Korea of preliminary conditions on a unilateral basis “impedes creating an atmosphere of trust,” it stressed. Washington makes a fine mistake, believing that “current efforts of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are insufficient for the resumption of six-way talks,” KCNA said.
It warned that the USA would be responsible if the emerging opportunity to resume consultations on the nuclear problem of the Korean peninsula was lost.
Six-way talks in which the USA, China, Japan, Russia and two Koreas take part, deadlocked at the end of 2008, when North Korea stopped the process of negotiations after a new package of U.N. sanctions had been slapped on it.