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.

"This shows that the US is only keen on disarming the DPRK after forcing it to scrap its nuclear program in utter disregard of its sincere efforts to resume the six-way talks while failing to show any intention to make a switchover in its policy toward the DPRK," KCNA said.

Such a persistent stand of the United States will destroy the foundation of the dialogue and cast a dark shadow on the prospect of the talks, it said.

"We must stress the preparations for the six-way talks should be orientated toward reaching an agreement on the measures of the first-phase action along with 'words-for-words' commitments," the KCNA said.

"Whether the next round of the six-way talks is put on the right track or not entirely depends on the US approach to it," it said.

The DPRK demands the United States to delist it as a sponsor of terrorism, lift political, economic and military sanctions and blockade on it, supply heavy oil, power and other energy resources to it.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2004)