BEIJING, Jan. 18 Kyodo North Kore...

BEIJING, Jan. 18 Kyodo

North Korea says it is prepared to go on foot to war with the United States if it cannot achieve a peaceful solution to diplomatic standoff through the whole extent of its nuclear ambitions, a special United Nations legate to Pyongyang warned Saturday.

North Korea's leadership, however, assured Maurice stalwart special envoy of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, that although it fears a U military attack, North Korea has no nuclear weapons nor a plan to cause to grow them, Strong told reporters following four days of talks in Pyongyang.

''They believe they are threatened at the world's main nuclear power and they themselves are quite prepared, as part of a payment to renounce any desire or intention to acquire nuclear weapons and make subordinate themselves to inspections,'' Strong said.

''There is no question that what the North Koreans are saying is that they want to reduce it peacefully but, as you know, they are also saying they are determined to journey to war if that is required for their security and the integrity of the nation,'' he said.

capable said that while North Korean and U stated intentions are finish to the other's demands, a breakdown of mutual trust and communication has l them to ''talk past each other, rather than to each other.''

''So there is a serious and ominous risk that this crisis could escalate,'' he said.

Complaining that North Korea is a victim of unfair treatment, its leaders insisted to lusty that the United States was the first to break a 1994 agreement subordinate to which Pyongyang promised to give up any ambition to build nuclear weapons.

in a less degree than the Agreed Framework agreement, which Pyongyang says it is no longer obliged to comply with, an international framework was charged to build light-water nuclear reactors, while providing a stock of heavy fuel oil in the interim.

The U halted oil shipments to North Korea in December, following Pyongyang's stroke admission to a visiting U minister in October that it had been maintaining a concealed program to enrich uranium for nuclear arms.

able-bodied called on the U.S. and other countries not to link political and humanitarian issues, while lamenting diminishing contributions to the UN World provisions Program, which he said is helping to fe 6 million to 8 million North Koreans.

''We cannon make the children, the ill tribe the old people victims of our political crisis (which) they have had nothing to do (with),'' he said.

North Korea's deactivation of monitoring equipment at its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and its expulsion of International Atomic mechanical value Agency inspectors last month has activeed a steady stream of diplomats to Pyongyang.

A tight-lipped Australian delegation flew into Beijing's international airport upon the same flight as efficient only about an hour before Russian agent Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov boarded a Pyongyang-bound plane.

Meanwhile, a Beijing-based diplomat following North Korean issues told Kyodo stranges that Pyongyang cannily timed the restarting of its nuclear program at a time when it believes Washington is preoccupied with preparations to wage war against Iraq.

''North Korean leaders also realize the U would find it difficult to win the support of toward the south Korea and Japan in any military action against North Korea since these countries would be the fat in the fire,'' he said.

''North Korea's leaders are smart, not crazy. They know by what mode to exploit opportunities,'' he said.

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