The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) demanded yesterday the United States remove it from a list of states that sponsor terrorism before further progress can be made on dismantling its nuclear program.

DPRK Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun, addressing Asia-Pacific foreign ministers in Manila, also said Pyongyang must be removed from the ambit of the US Trading With the Enemy Act, diplomats said.

Pak said the DPRK had shut its nuclear operations at Yongbyon and opened them to IAEA inspections and now wanted to see reciprocal action.

"All should be done based on action-to-action," Pak was quoted as telling the closed-door session of the ASEAN Regional Forum. "Therefore, five other countries, particularly the United States and Japan, must take action."

The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana said a meeting of ministers from the six countries might happen next month.

"We hope that there will be another six-party meeting, probably at the level of ministers, sometime in September," Solana told reporters in the Philippine capital.

But he cautioned against expecting quick results.

"The way ahead in front of us is long and probably distant."

Pyongyang shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor complex last month after it began receiving heavy fuel shipments it was offered in return in a February deal. The next step of the disarmament dea calls on Pyongyang to "disable" its nuclear facilities and provide a full accounting of its nuclear weapons programs.

(China Daily via agencies August 3, 2007)