North Korea calls on US to move in nuclear standoff

SEOUL, Nov 17 (Reuters) North Korea today made clear it had no intention of scrapping its nuclear weapons programme unless the United States made significant concessions.

The comments, carried in the official KCNA news agency, came a day after US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Pyongyang it had to show it was committed to take real steps to give up its programme after last month's nuclear test.

''(We) will feel no need to keep even a single nuke if the US ceases its nuclear threat and sanctions against the DPRK (North Korea) in a verifiable and trustworthy manner,'' KCNA cited the chairman of the North's parliament as saying.

Reclusive North Korea said late last month it would end its year-long boycott and return to stalled six-country talks aimed at persuading it to end its nuclear weapons programme.

It has stayed away from the talks in protest at a US clampdown on its offshore bank accounts, which Washington argues were used for illicit activities. The United States also led the UN sanctions against the communist state after its nuclear test.

''As the DPRK has already clarified, its nuclear weapons are a war deterrent for self-defence to cope with the US nuclear threat and sanctions which have reached an extreme phase,'' KCNA cited Choe Thae-bok as saying in Tehran.

No date has been set for a new round of talks -- between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States. Neither Washington nor Pyongyang has offered any concessions ahead of the talks.

''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,'' Mr Rice, who is attending a meeting of Asian-Pacific leaders in Hanoi, said.

Reuters SHB GC1325