North Korea has called for peace talks with the United States and an end to sanctions as a condition for resuming multilateral negotiations aimed at its denuclearisation. The North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement today that the resumption of the six-party nuclear talks depend on improving relations with the United States, and called for a peace treaty. The statement, carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, said in order to build confidence between North Korea and the US, "it is essential to conclude a peace treaty for terminating the state of war, a root cause of the hostile relations".
The 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The statement came after comments from President Barack Obama's special envoy Robert King said North Korea's 'appalling' human rights situation must improve before the country can expect to normalise relations with the United States. In comments certain to anger North Korea, Mr King blasted its human rights record as a US citizen remains under detention for crossing into the communist country last month without permission.
"It's one of the worst places in terms of lack of human rights," Mr King told reporters after meeting South Korea's foreign minister. "The situation is appalling." Mr King said that is preventing the normalisation of ties between Washington and Pyongyang, which have never had diplomatic relations and remain locked in a stand-off over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. "Improved relations between the United States and North Korea will have to involve greater respect for human rights by North Korea," he said.
Mr King, a former staff director on the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, is on his first visit overseas as special envoy for North Korean human rights. *AP