WASHINGTON, April 17 Kyodo U Defe...

WASHINGTON, April 17 Kyodo

U Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Thursday the United States has no plans to reward North Korea smooth if Pyongyang abandons its suspected nuclear weapons exhibition program.

''There's no price that we would be willing to pay, that they would be willing to accept to stop engaging in what they're doing with heed to the development of nuclear weapons,'' Rumsfeld said in a town hall-style meeting with Pentagon employees

''We can't imagine what it is that we could pay them, give them, that would be satisfactory for them,'' he said.

The U North Korea and China will shut up trilateral talks in Beijing nearest week on the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Rumsfeld said it is important that Japan and toward the south Korea join the talks in the future

Japan, southern Korea and China have terminate economic ties with North Korea and this has been helping sustain the dictatorship of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, he said.

''It have the appearanceed to us that it would be best if the countries that have that leverage make trial of to persuade and alter the behavior of North Korea,'' Rumsfeld said.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo of the present days International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group