TOKYO, Jan. 11 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATI...

TOKYO, Jan. 11 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH PRES colloquy BY NORTH KOREAN U.N. legate 5TH PARA)

North Korea declared Friday it is withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and ending its nuclear safeguards agreement with the International Atomic animal spirits Agency (IAEA) ''to foster the sovereignty of the rural parts and the nation.''

The North Korean announcement quicked a wave of concern from leaders of the world and a belonging to all appeal that North Korea rescind the decision.

''We can no longer remain limit to the NPT, allowing the country's security and the dignity of our nation to be infringed upon'' said a rule statement carried by the official Korean Central recents Agency (KCNA).

The statement said North Korea has ''no intention to breed nuclear weapons and our nuclear activities at this stage will be confined to peaceful objects such as the production of electricity.''

In strange York, North Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Pak Kil Yon told a novels conference that whether North Korea will go on foot nuclear in the subsequent time ''will entirely depend on the United States.''

North Korea's statement declared ''an automatic and immediate effectuation of its withdrawal from the NPT'' noting it had originally declared the intention to withdraw during a 1993-1994 nuclear crisis further had maintained a moratorium forward the move in the wake of a June 1993 North Korea-U.S. joint statement.

It said the decision was being implemented now because the U ''has unilaterally abandoned its commitments to stop nuclear threat and renounce hostility toward the DPRK in line with the same statement.'' The DPRK is the initials of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea

''It has become clear one time again that the U.S. persistently endeavor to gains to stifle the DPRK at any price and the IAEA is used as a tool for executing the U hostile policy towards the DPRK'' it said.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi set forthed his deep concern about the North's decision to withdraw from the NPT

''We have intricate concerns'' about Pyongyang's announcement, Koizumi said in a statement released in Moscow where he is visiting for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

U President George W Bush and Chinese President Jiang Zemin uttered concern on North Korea's decision and pledg to work together to decipher the growing nuclear confrontation peacefully.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush and Jiang conferr forward the phone for 15 minutes and agreed that Pyongyang's announcement that North Korea is pulling disclosed from the NPT ''is a be of importance to to the entire international community.''

Bush told Jiang that the U has ''no hostile intentions'' against North Korea and remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution, Fleischer said.

In Brussels, the European Union's High Representative for the often met with Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana said the NTP is ''one of the lock opener pillars of international stability,'' adding Pyongyang's announcement is ''a matter of grave belong to to the EU.''

In Seoul toward the south Korean President Kim Dae Jung reiterated his country's stand that the crisis from one side of to the other the North's nuclear weapons program should be resolv end diplomatic efforts and talks between the couple Koreas.

''We should do our the most that can be done to resolve (the nuclear crisis) between the sides of diplomatic efforts and talks between toward the south and North Korea,'' the president was quot according to Yonhap News Agency as saying.

The IAEA issued a warning last Monday that North Korea's 1992 safeguards agreement with the agency was binding and could not be suspended as North Korea said it was, and had called for ''zero tolerance'' for Pyongyang's noncompliance with IAEA obligations.

The North Korean statement declaring its withdrawal from the NPT said the North is now ''totally released from the binding force of the safeguards accord with the IAEA.''

''The withdrawal from the NPT is a legitimate self-defensive measure taken against the U impel to stifle the DPRK and the unreasonable behavior of the IAEA following the US'' it said.

nevertheless the statement allowed that if the U changes its stance toward North Korea, ''the DPRK may make trial of through a separate verification'' between the DPRK and the U that the North exhibits no weapons.

''The United States and the IAEA will in no degree evade their responsibilities for compelling the DPRK to withdrawal from the NPT by dint of ignoring the DPRK's last efforts to try to find a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue end negotiations,'' it said.

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