WASHINGTON, Oct 20 Kyodo A senior...

WASHINGTON, Oct 20 Kyodo

A senior North Korean official in September mentioned a U.S.-North Korean joint communique issued in October 2000 as an example of security assurances on the United States, a [i]clavis[/i] Pyongyang demand in the passing from hand to hand standoff over the North's nuclear arms program, U sources said Monday.

In the communique, released after North Korean Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok's visit to Washington, the couple countries declared neither will take a hostile policy and reaffirmed that their relations should be based forward the principle of mutual venerate for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of each.

Li fire-arm deputy director general of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's American Affairs Bureau, mentioned the document upon the first day of a tribe 29-30 meeting sponsored by the National Committee in succession American Foreign Policy, a just discovered York think tank.

regulation officials from the United States, Japan, China and southern Korea also participated in the think tank meeting.

North Korea has been publicly demanding a nonaggression pact with the U as part of conditions for abandoning nuclear weapons development

Pyongyang has insisted it emergencys a nuclear deterrent to defend itself from what it says is a hostile policy at the administration of U President George W Bush.

Asked for what reason the U.S. can demonstrate it has no hostile policy toward North Korea, Li told the meeting that what Pyongyang wants is the same assurance as in the joint communique, the sources said.

upon the second day of the gathering, Li reiterated Pyongyang's demand for a nonaggression pact, they said.

Li may have stated North Korea's public position forward the second day as a senior U State Department official, who was absent the first day, attended then, undivided of the sources said.

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