International News

BEIJING, (APP/AFP) – North Korea has “no
thoughts” of resuming six-party talks on its nuclear programme, a top Pyongyang official said Thursday in Beijing, despite the repeated urgings of its closest ally China.
The North quit the now-stalled negotiations aimed at curbing its nuclear weapons programme in 2009, and soon afterwards carried out its second atomic test. The talks are hosted by China, and include South Korea, the United States, Russia, and Japan.
Beijing, the North’s main diplomatic protector and economic benefactor, wants to revive negotiations, although Washington, Seoul and Tokyo all insist Pyongyang — which carried out two missile launches earlier this week — must first take some tangible step towards denuclearisation.
Choe Son-Hui, deputy director-general of the North American affairs bureau in North Korea’s foreign ministry, said in Beijing: “For now, we have no thoughts about taking part in talks for discussing North Korea’s
denuclearisation.”