North Korea exits nuclear talks under shadow of rebuilt reactor
Friday, 19 Sep 2008 20:36
North Korea withdraws from nuclear talks, no longer wants to be removed from US list of state terror sponsors
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North Korea has backed out of negotiations over its nuclear programme, saying it now planned to "go its own way".
Pyongyang claimed on Friday it no longer wanted to be removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The move follows an admission from North Korea that it had started work to bring its main nuclear facility back online.
A foreign ministry spokesman told the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) work to restore the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon was well underway.
"[North Korea] suspended the disablement of its nuclear facilities and work has been underway to restore its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon to their original state since some time ago," the unnamed official said.
Six-party talks involving the south, Japan, China and Russia had seen the north agree to unwind its nuclear programme in return for food and fuel aid.
Washington said it would remove the reclusive Communist country from its state terrorism sponsor blacklist as a condition of the agreement but said such a move was impossible until North Korea's declaration of disablement was recognised to an "international standard".
"Now that the US true colours are brought to light, [North Korea] neither wishes to be delisted as a 'state sponsor of terrorism' nor expects such a thing to happen," KCNA quoted Pyongyang's foreign ministry as saying.
"It will go its own way."