DPRK Foreign Minister Urges U.S. to Roll back Its Hostile Policy towards DPRK

  Pyongyang, March 6 (KCNA) -- Ri Su Yong, foreign minister of the DPRK, made a speech at the Geneva Conference on Disarmament on March 3.
    He said:
    Overall disarmament process remains deadlocked contrary to expectations of the member countries.
    Arbitrary and double-dealing attitudes of some countries bring about negative consequences of sparking off an arms race, far from seeking genuine disarmament negotiations based on mutual trust among member countries.
    The NPT was adopted at the disarmament talks in the last century but nuclear disarmament was not completely realized. Consequently, the nuclear map of the world today has significantly changed. Less people in the media and academic circles pay attention to this issue.
    If the CD fails to sufficiently play its role any longer, the issue of nuclear disarmament may disappear from the UN agenda once and for all.
    The Korean peninsula is a nuclear arsenal as the world's largest nuclear weapons state and the youngest nuclear weapons state are technically at war.
    The Korean peninsula may be called a ground showcasing the consequences proving that a nuclear weapons state failed to keep promise made to non-nuclear state at a time when the NPT was adopted.
    Instead of providing assurances of non-use of nukes against the DPRK which acceded to the NPT in 1985, the U.S. has not de-escalated its nuclear threat to Pyongyang at all but further increased it.
    The hostile policy of the U.S. towards the DPRK for over half a century, not just a few years, compelled the DPRK to have access to nukes. The DPRK cannot but bolster its nuclear deterrent capability to cope with the ever-increasing nuclear threat of the U.S.
    The DPRK's future counteraction will depend on whether the U.S. rolls back its hostile policy toward the DPRK or not.
    As long as Korea remains divided, lasting peace on the Korean peninsula and the regional security cannot be ensured.
    When Korea is reunified, it will definitely help realize the cherished desire of the nation and, at the same time, will be a decisive contribution to the peace and security on the Korean peninsula and, furthermore, those in Northeast Asia where the interests of big powers clash.
    The DPRK will not spare its sincere efforts to bring about a great change in the inter-Korean relations this year.
    The government of the DPRK expresses conviction that CD will pay due attention to the situation on the Korean peninsula and give support for the efforts to ease the tension. -0-