Distrust between N. Korea, U.S. clouds talks

BEIJING, November 9 - North Korea`s delegation to the six-nation talks on its nuclear problem is insisting that priority in discussions be given to the distrust between the DPRK and the United States, the delegation`s head said at the fifth round of talks Wednesday.

Kim Gye-gwan said distrust between the two sides had come to a head, specifically referring to U.S. President George W. Bush`s statement last Sunday, calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-il a "tyrant." "The statement by the U.S. president is offensive and does nothing to promote trust, but we have come to the talks to make progress and we are ready to honor the obligations we assumed on the principal objective - the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Kim Gye-gwan said.

North Korea`s pledge to scrap its nuclear program is crucial to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill said at a plenary session of the fifth round of talks Wednesday.

The fifth round of negotiations between North Korea, Russia, the United States, South Korea, China, and Japan opened in the Chinese capital Wednesday and will last through November 11

sections: Politics, World News