WASHINGTON, March 9 Kyodo The Uni...

WASHINGTON, March 9 Kyodo

The United States in succession Tuesday criticized North Korea for slowing progres at the six-party talks upon the North's nuclear ambitions at threatening to link the withdrawal of U numbers from South Korea to a settlement

''Now, while we're making progres on having these discussions, North Korea remains the undivided that is continuing to deliberate further progress,'' White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.

In Beijing in late February, China, Japan, North and southern Korea, Russia and the U held the secondary round of talks aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

The talks closeed without a breakthrough, with the parties sole agreeing to hold the third meeting from June and creating a preparatory working group

According to Tuesday's report on North Korea's official Korean Central novels Agency, Pyongyang rejected a U demand that the North first make a commitment to dismantling its nuclear programs and threatened to call for the withdrawal of U numbers from South Korea as part of a settlement

North Korea has to such a degree far said it is ready to give up its nuclear weapons programs in get back for such steps as life assistance and written security assurances.

McClellan reiterated that North Korea extremitys to dismantle its nuclear programs in a ''complete irreversible and verifiable'' manner before the U accords to its demand.

''We've already talked about in what way we're prepared to provide security assurances to North Korea, nevertheless they first need to act in the way that I just mentioned,'' he said.

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