The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday it will neither test nor produce nuclear weapons and will freeze nuclear facilities even for peaceful use in "a bold concession" to the United States. 

"The DPRK is set to refrain from test and production of nuclear weapons and stop even operating nuclear power industry for a peaceful purpose as first-phase measures of the package solution," South Korea's Yonhap News Agency quoted the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as reporting.

"This can not but be one more bold concession," the KCNA said.

In an article by the KCNA, the DPRK said the progress in the second round of talks on its nuclear weapons program depends on whether the United States will accept its demands for simultaneous action in which the two sides address each other's concerns.

The DPRK's demands include Pyongyang's removal from Washington's list of nations allegedly sponsoring terrorism, the lifting of sanctions and the provision of energy aid, the KCNA said.

However, the US has refused to meet the DPRK's demands unless the latter first agrees to a complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its nuclear weapons program.

"Such a persistent stand by the US will destroy the foundation of dialogue and cast a dark shadow on the prospects for the talks," the KCNA said. "This shows the US is only keen on disarming the DPRK after forcing it to scrap its nuclear program in utter disregard of its sincere efforts for the resumption of the six-way talks while failing to show any intention to make a switchover in its policy toward the DPRK."

Whether the next round of nuclear crisis talks occurs hinges upon the US attitude, the KCNA said, noting that the DPRK recognized the role of the talks and expressed its intention to resolve the nuclear dispute through dialogue.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2004)