PYONGYANG, Aug. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Monday it could not attend the second-phase of the fourth round of the six-party talks formerly scheduled for this week, but indicated it will return to the talks in mid-September.

    A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the decision was made because of the hostile and insulting behavior of the United States.

    "No sooner had the talks gone into recess than the US began the large-scale war exercises 'Ulji Focus Lens-05' with South Korea targeted against the DPRK, and appointed a 'presidential envoy for the human rights issue of north Korea. These have thus eliminated all possibilities of holding the second-phase of the talks in the week beginning on August 29," said the the spokesman.

    He said it was "unimaginable" for the DPRK to sit at the negotiating table with the US at a time when the powder-reeking war exercises targeted against it are under way.

    "What the US has done has seriously insulted its dialogue partner and broke faith with the DPRK," the spokesman stressed.

    He said the DPRK, through the New York contact channel in the United Nations headquarters, had notified the US of its stand.

    "The US expressed understanding of this view," he said.

    But he also said that the talks may be resumed in mid-Septemberwhen the atmosphere "chilled".

    "It is the stand of the DPRK to open the second-phase of the fourth six-party talks in the week beginning on September 12 when the war exercises have probably worn down a bit," the spokesman said.

    The fourth round of the six-party talks began on July 26 in Beijing and adjourned on August 7. The six parties had formerly agreed to resume the second phase of the talks this week.

    Also on Monday, DPRK's official News Agency KCNA accused the USof sabotaging the atmosphere of the resumption of the talks.

    The US chief executive appointed an "envoy for the human rightsissue of north Korea" and set in motion the reactionary Radio FreeAsia to launch into a massive distorted propaganda about the lot of "defectors from the north," the news agency said in a commentary.

    "We swear that we regard this as an absurd and foolish attempt to overthrow the system of the DPRK at any cost by adding the "human rights" racket to the nuclear issue," the commentary said.

    "The six-party talks were delayed a little more than one year as the US demolished the very foundation of the talks by disregarding and disrespecting its dialogue partner. The US is now repeating this folly. This is tantamount to urging the DPRK to reconsider its approach to the talks," it added. Enditem