N. Korea Says Sanctions Tabling Nuke Talks
January 2, 2006
SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea said Tuesday it cannot return to international nuclear disarmament talks unless the United States lifts sanctions imposed for its alleged currency counterfeiting and other illegal activities.
“While under U.S. sanctions, it’s impossible to sit face-to-face and discuss abandoning our nuclear deterrent … with a counterpart who seeks to isolate and stifle us,” said the Rodong Sinmun, the North’s ruling Workers Party newspaper, in a Korean-language commentary, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.