| North Korea says it will not return to multilateral | | | | Korean peninsula, and that the United States has |
| talks on ending its nuclear ambitions and has | | | | no intention of attacking the North. |
| repeated its earlier assertions that it has already | | | | For months, North Korea has stalled efforts to |
| manufactured nuclear weapons. South Korean, | | | | have a fourth round of talks with China, South |
| Japanese and U.S. officials are pushing Pyongyang | | | | Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States. Many |
| to resume talks. | | | | experts on North Korea thought Pyongyang |
| A North Korean television announcer reads a | | | | delayed in part because it hoped that President |
| Foreign Ministry statement Thursday, saying that | | | | Bush would be defeated in last year's election. |
| Pyongyang is suspending participation in multilateral | | | | After Mr. Bush was re-elected, Pyongyang |
| nuclear talks for "an indefinite period." | | | | indicated it would decide on resuming talks after |
| He then says North Korea has manufactured | | | | the president selected his new foreign policy |
| nuclear weapons, repeating earlier claims. | | | | team. |
| The statement also says that U.S. Secretary of | | | | Mr. Bush last week gave only a low-key mention |
| State Condoleezza Rice's recent description of the | | | | to North Korea in his annual State of the Union |
| North is an "outpost of tyranny" shows that | | | | address, giving some experts hope that |
| Washington has a hostile attitude toward North | | | | Pyongyang would return to the table. And in |
| Korea. Pyongyang says that means it has no | | | | recent weeks, U.S. and South Korean officials had |
| justification to continue the talks. | | | | expressed optimism about the talks. |
| Speaking in Luxembourg, Ms. Rice said the decision | | | | Chun Youk, a spokeswoman for the conservative |
| would only "deepen North Korea's isolation." She | | | | Grand National Party in South Korea, says her |
| says the international community has been clear | | | | party is disappointed in North Korea's decision. |
| there is no need for nuclear weapons on the | | | | |