KUALA LUMPUR Feb 25 Kyodo North K...

KUALA LUMPUR Feb 25 Kyodo

North Korean number sum of two units leader Kim Yong Nam guarded his country's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) onward Tuesday, citing it as a ''righteous self-defensive measure'' against ''reckless'' U policy.

North Korea was ''compelled'' to withdraw from the treaty ''to cope with the grave situation in which its pre-eminent interests are extremely threatened by dint of the reckless U.S. policy to stifle'' his home Kim told a gathering of leaders at the 13th Non-Aligned manner of moving Summit (NAM) in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur

''This is the righteous self-defensive measure and the exercise of independent right to choice aimed at defending the sovereignty and dignity of the country'' he said in his language an English copy of which was made available to the press

Kim gave assurance that his country's nuclear program ''at this stage would be confined alone to the peaceful purposes as it is as production of electricity.''

The in every one's mouth impasse, Kim said can and nothing else be resolved when the United States ''abandons its antagonistic schemes'' and accepts North Korea's proposal ''for the conclusion of legally binding non-aggression treaty and occupys negotiations with the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) in a sincere and practical manner onward the basis of the principle of sovereign equality.''

Kim's language was filled with vitriolic attacks against the U and its antiterrorism policy.

''Unilateralism based upon the theory of 'power is everything' devastates norms of the international relations and order and restores the world fraught with wars forward the pretext of antiterrorism. Countries desirous of justice and independence and singled abroad as targets of preemptive nuclear strikes and those oppos to a unipolar world are being mercilessly make subordinateed to a volley of power,'' he said.

The sovereignty of developing countries, he added, has been ''trampled down or threatened according to unilateralism and high-handedness of the United States that become perpetually more rampant in the existing international relations.''

Kim heaped praise upon his own country's ''army-based policy'' as the best to secure from danger against the U.S.

''The army-based policy station forth by the respected Gen Kim Jong Il is the greatest in quantity powerful politics that makes it possible to uphold the country and also push ahead the economic construction with the army as a pillar beneath the constant threats of the U aggression,'' he said.

Kim has been busy rallying support from developing countries leaders for his country's nuclear policy.

He held several bilateral meetings forward the sidelines of the summit, including with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

likewise far, North Korean senior officials have managed to compressing NAM to tone down its demand for North Korea to turn back to the NPT.

A statement that the leaders are look fored to adopt later Tuesday, which originally contained an outright call for North Korea to reconsider its withdrawal, has been watered down to common saying they ''noted,'' its withdrawal from the NPT and urging the North and the U to reduce the issue peacefully.

NAM leaders refused, however, to doom the U.S., as demanded by way of North Korea.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Kyodo moderns International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group