N. Korea nuclear talks to resume Sept 13
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-09-08 16:19

Pyongyang is insisting that the United States should allow it the right to use civilian nuclear energy in return for disbanding its atomic arms program, which has been rejected by Washington.

North Korea reiterated its position in Tuesday's Rodong Sinmun.

"(North Korea) had built the nuclear power facilities for decades tightening its belts," Rodong said in a commentary.

"It is unimaginable for (North Korea) to dismantle its independent nuclear power industry built with so much effort, yielding to outsiders' pressure, without getting any proposal for compensating for the loss of nuclear energy."

The United States points to Pyongyang's failure to contain such a program to peaceful purposes in the past.

It has also argued that the package being put together by the other nations in the talks includes conventional energy supplies that would replace the energy capacity of light water reactors.

South Korea has already offered to supply its northern neighbour with large supplies of electricity if it renounces nuclear weapons.

The standoff flared in October 2002 when the United States accused North Korea of developing a secret uranium-enrichment program in violation of a 1994 arms control pact.

Pyongyang has denied the US charges but declared in February this year that it had already built nuclear bombs.