North Korea has denied what the United States calls the communist state's "blackmail" tactics in a stand-off over its nuclear weapons drive, state media reported.
| "Blackmail? Us? Nah. It's, ummm... something else." |
Denouncing the US claims as "far-fetched" and "sinister," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) held Washington responsible for the global as well as regional nuclear tensions.
| "Yeah. It ain't us. It's them! It's always them!" |
"The conception of absolute denuclearisation on this planet is quite meaningless unless the US, the nuclear weapon state, proves its anti-nuclear policy by dismantling its nuclear weapons and abandoning its nuclear threat," KCNA said. "This is the stark reality today created by the US nuclear blackmail policy."
| Actually, that's going to happen someday. But you'll never be sure, will you? And when we develop a 250-pound MOAB, it won't even matter, will it? |
The comments followed a joint pledge Friday by US President George W Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi never to bow to North Korean "blackmail" over the nuclear impasse. After meeting with Mr Koizumi at his Texas ranch on Friday, Mr Bush said: "We will not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea. We will not give in to blackmail. We will not settle for anything less than the complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons program." But KCNA, reiterating Pyongyang's long-held position, demanded on Saturday that Washington first take a reconciliatory step to settle the nuclear crisis.
| "Yeah. You imperialists better roll over for us..." |
"If the US officially drops its political, military and economic hostile policy toward the DPRK (North Korea), intended to destroy its state and system, and approaches negotiations with it from a fair and equal stand, it will take the US touted 'security concern' into full account," KCNA said. |