U.S. rules out resumed talks with DPRK for now

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 -- The Obama administration ruled out resumed talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday as long as Pyongyang is running critical parts of its nuclear program.

Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's national security adviser, said one of Washington's "most pressing" security goals is to "roll back" the threat posed by DPRK's nuclear and missile programs.

"To that end, we are prepared for negotiations, provided that they are authentic and credible, get at the entirety of the North's nuclear program, and result in concrete and irreversible steps toward denuclearization," Rice said in a speech on U.S. policies toward the Asia Pacific region at Georgetown University in Washington.

"Pyongyang's attempts to engage in dialogue while keeping critical elements of its weapons programs running are unacceptable, and they will not succeed," she added.

Envoys from the United States, Japan and South Korea, after talks in Washington early this month, agreed not to restart the six-party talks until the DPRK shows its commitment to giving up its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, the DPRK, China and Russia, the other parties to the six-party talks, have been calling for resumption of the dialogue without preconditions.

Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for the DPRK policy, is now on a week-long tour of China, South Korea and Japan for continued discussions over policy coordination on Pyongyang.

In her remarks, Rice vowed to defend the United States and its allies against any threat by the DPRK and expand the sanctions on it when necessary.

"Pyongyang has a choice: on the one hand lies greater isolation and crippling economic privation; on the other, a true chance for peace, development and global integration," she said.

The six-party talks, initiated in Beijing in August 2003, have been stalled since December 2008.

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