Statement of First Vice-Foreign Minister of DPRK

Pyongyang, July 4 (KCNA) -- Choe Son Hui, first vice-minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, issued the following statement on Saturday:

Words "DPRK-U.S. summit" which have become dim even in our memory has become a topic for conversation from some days ago, drawing the attention of the international community.

There is a person who thoughtlessly voices an intention to mediate the summit, utterly regardless of what we, the dialogue party, would think of it, and there is rumor that the U.S. ruling quarters admits the need to hold DPRK-U.S. summit before the U.S. presidential election.

There are even some dreamers hoping to leverage our denuclearization measures for conditional lift of sanctions, while raising hope for "October surprise"

Now is a very sensitive time when even the slightest misjudgment and misstep would incur fatal and irrevocable consequences. We can not but be shocked at the story about the summit indifferent to the present situation of the DPRK-U.S. relations.

Is it possible to hold dialogue or have any dealings with the U.S. which persists in the hostile policy toward the DPRK in disregard of the agreements already made at the past summit?

It is clear to us, even without meeting, with what shallow trick the U.S. will approach us as it has neither intention nor will to go back to the drawing board.

The U.S. is mistaken if it thinks things like negotiations would still work on us.

We have already worked out detailed strategic timetable for putting under control the long-term threat from the U.S.

There will never be any adjustment and change in our policy, conditional on external parameters like internal political schedule of someone.

Long talk is not necessary.

We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the U.S., as it does not consider the DPRK-U.S. dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling with its political crisis. -0-