SEOUL: North Korea on Tuesday rejected US preconditions for a resumption of long-stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, saying Washington is trying to shift the blame for the failure to restart dialogue.
"If preconditions are necessary for the resumption of the talks, it is essential to set preconditions on the basis of equality for all," the North's official news agency said.
"The DPRK (North Korea) calls for resuming the talks without preconditions. But the US is creating wrong impression that there are things which the DPRK has to do first for the resumption of the talks," it said.
"The US talk about preconditions is little short of an artifice to shift the blame for the failure to resume the six-party talks onto the DPRK."
The North quit the six-party forum on its nuclear disarmament in April 2009 and staged a second nuclear test a month later. It has expressed willingness to return but without prior conditions.
The United States and South Korea say the North must first show it is serious about the process, notably by shutting down a uranium enrichment programme which could be reconfigured to make bombs.
They also call for UN atomic inspectors to be readmitted to the North.
Last month, the nuclear envoys of South and North Korea held a second meeting in as many months to try to lay the groundwork for the resumption of nuclear talks. No significant progress was reported.
US and North Korean officials met separately in New York in late July, and there are media reports that another meeting is planned. The forum also includes China, Russia and Japan.
Peter Hughes, the outgoing British ambassador to Pyongyang, last week cast doubt on North Korea's willingness to denuclearise, saying its officials believe Libya's regime would have survived had it kept its nuclear weapons.
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