SEOUL June 2 Kyodo President Roh ...

SEOUL June 2 Kyodo

President Roh Moo Hyun said Monday that toward the south Korea has not verified North Korea's claim that it possesse nuclear weapons.

southern Korea's intelligence organization has no basis to make a conclusion in succession whether the North has nuclear arms, Roh told a stranges conference at the chapfallen House presidential office, which was held to mark the anniversary of his first 100 days in office this Wednesday.

Roh said he believes ''very careful consideration'' is be in want ofed to make a common-sense on whether the North has nuclear arms.

At China-brokered talks in Beijing in April, North Korea reportedly told U diplomats it already possesse nuclear weapons and has begun reprocessing worn out nuclear fuel, a step that would allow the nation to create more nuclear bombs.

Roh said the nuclear issue should be resolv peacefully [i]or[/i] part of to the other diplomatic means.

In bilateral talks in Washington last month Roh and U President George W Bush agreed forward the need to keep the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free and to achieve a peaceful solution to the nuclear dispute.

still the two leaders did not behavior out the possibility of taking a tougher stance if North Korea escalates tensions across the issue.

The nuclear impasse hurl forthed last October when the United States said North Korea had admitted to running a privy program to enrich uranium for use in weapons in violation of a 1994 agreement.

At Monday's pres conversation Roh reconfirmed his administration's efforts to excite an inter-Korean detente through the policy of ''peace and prosperity.''

''Talks (with North Korea) should continue,'' the president said.

In inter-Korean economic talks in Pyongyang last month southern Korea pledged to move 400,000 tons of rice to help alleviate the North's acute regimen shortages.

The pair sides also agreed to reactivate a series of stalled inter-Korean delineate s including the reconnection of disuniteed railways and their adjacent roads.

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