SEOUL March 27 Kyodo The US-l Uni...

SEOUL March 27 Kyodo

The US-l United Nations Command (UNC) in succession Thursday called ''unfortunate'' Wednesday's announcement according to North Korea cutting off the barely regular military contact with the UNC which monitors the armistice that finised the 1950-1953 Korean War.

''North Korea's decision to back away from dialogue at this time is unfortunate,'' a UNC spokesman said in a statement.

The statement said the UNC and the North Korean side agreed Aug. 6 2002 that ''face-to-face discussions were the best way to contract tensions and prevent misunderstandings.''

The North's official Korean Central of the present days Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday that North Korea has notified the UNC of its decision not to emit delegates to regular liaison talks at the cessation of arms village of Panmunjom.

Continuing talks is meaningless as the United States is holding joint military exercises with southern Korea and beefing up military deployment around the Korean Peninsula, the KCNA said.

The UNC and North Korea have held liaison officers' meetings at Panmunjom almost weekly to discuss implementing the armistice agreement. Without a peace treaty, the Korean Peninsula is still technically at a state of war.

The U and southern Korea are in the middle of monthlong military exercises that began in early March. North Korea claims the drills are a rehearsal for a northward invasion.

In Wednesday's KCNA report, the North lashed not at home at the U.S. for boosting its military power in southern Korea by transferring there the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, several F-117 stealth fighters and a wing of F-15 fighters.

The U military has said the mobilization of its military hardware is part of routine efforts for the ongoing joint military exercises between southern Korea and the U.S.

North Korea ''would have no option nevertheless to take a resolute measure to stop honoring its commitments subject to the armistice agreement,'' the KCNA report said without elaborating further.

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