N.Korea wants UN sanctions lifted
(AP)
Updated: 2006-12-18 16:51
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea demanded Monday that all UN sanctions and US
financial restrictions be lifted before it dismantles its nuclear weapons
program. The US said it would normalize relations with the North if it scraps
the program.
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Top Japanese envoy Kenichiro Sasae, standing in second row,
arrives for the resumption of Six-Party Talks as China's Deputy Foreign
Mminister Wu Dawei , seated at right, gathers his notes ahead of
round-table discussions at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing
Monday, Dec. 18, 2006. International talks on North Korea's nuclear
program convened Monday for the first time in 13 months following a
boycott by the communist nation during which it tested an atomic device
for the first time. [AP]
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The demands came at the
start of the first full arms talks since Pyongyang first tested a nuclear bomb
on Oct. 9, with envoys from the six nations involved in negotiations meeting
after a 13-month hiatus.
The North repeated its demand that it receive a nuclear reactor to be used
for generating energy before it abandons its weapons program. It also wants
energy supplies until the new facility is built, according to a summary of
opening speeches released by one of the delegations involved.
If those demands aren't met, North Korea said it will continue with its
weapons program.
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