DPRK defends right to peaceful use of nuclear power
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-08-05 09:23

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should enjoy the right to the peaceful use of nuclear power, said Kim Kye-gwan, DPRK's chief negotiator to the ongoing six-party Korean nuclear talks, in Beijing on Thursday.

Kim, also vice foreign minister of the DPRK, made the remarks outside the DPRK embassy in China following a heads-of-delegation meeting of the talks on Thursday evening.

Kim expressed dissatisfaction with the United States' opposition to the DPRK's peaceful use of nuclear power.

"All countries in the world enjoy the right to make a peaceful use of nuclear power," Kim said. "The DPRK is neither a defeated nation in a war nor a nation having committed any crimes, so why should we not be allowed to use the nuclear power peacefully?"

He said now all participating nations in the six-party talks except the United States understand the position of the DPRK. He also expressed his belief that the United States would also be persuaded in the end to support the DPRK to make a peaceful use of nuclear power.

According to Kim, as differences remained in the political stances of the DPRK and the United States, the current round of talks is now in sort of stalemate in the drafting process of a common document.

He said so far various parties to the talks have failed to reach a consensus on specific measures relating to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, adding that the DPRK and the United States are still unable to establish mutual trust on the normalization of bilateral ties.

"This round of talks aims at realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula," he said. "We will make every effort to help the talks achieve progress, and the talks will continue."

The current round of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, involving China, the DPRK, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan, will enter the 11th day on Friday.

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