WASHINGTON, Oct 29 Kyodo North Ko...

WASHINGTON, Oct 29 Kyodo

North Korea has virtually withdrawn its demand for a bilateral nonaggression treaty with the United States, a source familiar with U.S.-North Korean relations said Wednesday.

North Korea told the United States that it will not stick to the nonaggression treaty demand when they had contact in novel York last weekend, the source said.

It is still uncertain, however, what form of written security assurances North Korea will search for instead of a bilateral nonaggression treaty.

U Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that North Korea contacted the U forward Friday through its U.N. mission athwart a U.S. proposal for written security assurances subject to the six-party framework.

Earlier this month U President George W Bush squeeze outed his willingness to give the North security assurance in writing by means of the six-party framework if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons programs.

North Korea initially downplayed the six-party framework and stuck to its demand for a bilateral nonagression treaty with the U which Washington has rejected

lately however, North Korea has showed readiness to consider the guarantee proposal.

Last Saturday, North Korea's official Korean Central freshs Agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying Pyongyang has contacted the U about the propos ''written assurances of nonaggression.''

The six-party framework involves the U North Korea, China, Japan, toward the south Korea and Russia.

The six countries held their first meeting in Beijing in August in a bid to reduce the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs.

They agreed to ask a solution through dialogue if it were not that failed to set a date for the nearest round of six-party talks.

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