The United States should adopt a friendly attitude towards the efforts by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue, a commentary by the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Tuesday. 

A peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue through dialogue is vital to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula and ensure peace and stability for the peninsula, said the commentary.

For this purpose, the DPRK has offered a package solution based on the principle of simultaneous actions, it added.

It has been the DPRK's consistent and principled position to peacefully resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue, which deserves a friendly response from the United States, the commentary noted.

However, the United States had recently brought the weapons used in Afghanistan and Iraq into South Korea, the commentary said, accusing it of accelerating preparations for starting a new war.

The United States would miscalculate if it intended to intimidate the DPRK, just as it had done with other countries, the commentary continued.

In the face of America's tough policy, the DPRK will have to increase its military strength for self-defense, the commentary said.  

Earlier in the day, a KCNA commentary said the DPRK is willing to refrain from testing and producing nuclear weapons, and to stop nuclear activities.

"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."

"This cannot but be one more bold concession," it said.

(Xinhua News Agency January 7, 2004)