PYONGYANG, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Monday it would discuss reaching a peace
treaty with relevant state parties in the framework of the six-party talks to
replace the Armistice Agreement, the official Korean Central News Agency
reported.
The DPRK Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying
that it was necessary to pay primary attention to build confidence between the
DPRK and the United States.
The statement said removing barriers such as
sanctions against the DPRK might soon lead to the opening of the six-party
talks.
"If confidence is to be built between the DPRK and
the U.S., it is essential to conclude a peace treaty for terminating the state
of war, a root cause of the hostile relations, to begin with," it said.
It said the conclusion of the peace treaty would also
help promote the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The statement suggested that the Armistice Agreement
be replaced by a peace treaty this year which "marks the lapse of 60 years since
the outbreak of the Korean War."
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s proposal on peace treaty is somewhat different from
South Korea's original position on it, a foreign ministry official said later
Monday.
The official's remark came after the DPRK said earlier in
the day that it would discuss reaching a peace treaty with relevant state
parties to replace the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War,
either in the framework of the six-party talks, or in a "separate forum" as what
the Joint Statement of September 2005 proposed. Full story
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The United States on
Monday called on Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks, as an important
follow-up action of bilateral direct talks.
"I don't have a specific reaction to that statement.
But we hope that North Korea will agree to resuming the six-party talks," said
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, referring to Pyongyang's proposal on
improving relationship with Washington. Full story
PYONGYANG, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) called on Friday for an end to the hostile relationship
between Pyongyang and Washington while reiterating its pursue for a nuclear-free
Korean Peninsula.
In a joint New Year editorial released by KCNA, the DPRK
said "the fundamental task for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean
Peninsula and in the rest of Asia is to put an end to the hostile relationship
between the DPRK and the USA." Full story
SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special envoy to the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said Thursday that the U.S. and
the DPRK reached a common understanding on the need for resuming the six-party
talks and implementing the Joint Statement of September 2005.
At a press conference here after wrapping up his three-day
trip to Pyongayang, Bosworth called the trip "very useful" in that he was able
to exchange views in a "candid, business-like" way. Full story
SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's Foreign Minister
Yu Myung-hwan said Wednesday that discussions to resume the stalled six-party
talks on nuclear issue on Korean Peninsula are underway, local media
reported.
Yu Myung-hwan told local media that participating
countries in the six-way talks are waiting for the response of the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) following U.S. special nuclear envoy Stephen
Bosworth's recent visit to Pyongyang. Full story
MOSCOW, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia considers Pyongyang's
readiness to resume the six-party talks an important event in 2009,Deputy
Foreign Minister Alexei Borodavkin said Wednesday.
"As a result of joint efforts by all parties of the
six-nation talks, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has agreed to
resume the negotiations," Borodavkin said at a press conference. Full story
PYONGYANG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The United States was
accused of having no plan to change its hostile policy toward the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in a commentary in the official Rodong Sinmun
on Tuesday.
The commentary, lashing out at the recent U.S.-South Korea
joint air force exercise, said the U.S. artificially intensified tension on the
Korean peninsula and increased the risk of war by constantly holding military
drills, while claiming to "secure the peace of the peninsula." Full story
PYONGYANG, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) will "mercilessly destroy the stronghold of aggression
with unpredictable retaliatory blows" if its sovereignty is breached, the DPRK's
chief of the General Staff of the army said Wednesday.
Ri Yong Ho, chief of the General Staff of the Korean
People's Army (KPA), made the remarks at a meeting marking the 18th anniversary
of the top leader Kim Jong Il's assumption of the supreme commandership of the
KPA. Full story
Russia, U.S. hail DPRK's readiness to
rejoin six-party talks MOSCOW,
Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia and the United States welcomed signals from the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that it was ready to rejoin the
six-party talks, Russian news agencies reported on Monday.
"I welcome the DPRK's adherence to the six-nation
negotiating process," Russia's chief nuclear envoy and Deputy Foreign Minister
Alexei Borodavkin told a press briefing after meeting with Steven Bosworth, the
U.S. special envoy to the DPRK.Full story
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Stephen Bosworth, President
Barack Obama's special envoy, concluded a three-day visit to the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea on Thursday after holding the first direct U.S. talks
with Pyongyang since Obama took office.
The U.S. said Bosworth's visit, which was closely followed
by all parties involved in the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, was aimed at
pushing for an early resumption of the stalled six-party talks over the DPRK's
dismantling of its nuclear program. Full story
