'NKorea must show will to abandon nuclear arms'

Hanoi, Nov 16: The United States today said it wants a clear sign North Korea will take concrete steps toward giving up giving up its nuclear weapons programmes as they prepare for the next round of talks on the issue.

''I do think that, after having set off a nuclear test, that the North Koreans need to do something to demonstrate that they actually are committed to denuclearisation that goes beyond words,'' US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

Speaking to reporters at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Vietnam, Rice said there was deep skepticism among the group's 21 members that North Korea actually intended to abandon the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

North Korea agreed to resume talks on ending its nuclear weapons programs three weeks after its October 9 nuclear test.

Diplomats hope the talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States will occur by the end of the year but not date has been fixed for them.

Asked if she would put off talks until certain North Korea would take steps to show its commitment to denuclearisation, Rice said: ''I don't think it makes sense for us to have talks unless we think that it's going to be fruitful. It certainly doesn't make sense just to go back to talk.'' Rice made the remarks after having breakfast at a hotel in Hanoi with more than a dozen foreign ministers attending the APEC meetings.

Reuters