Asia-Pacific

DPRK newspaper: US should give up Cold War mindset

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-01 16:45

PYONGYANG: The Rodong Simun newspaper of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) urged the United States on Monday to give up the Cold War mindset and conclude a peace treaty.

The official newspaper said in a commentary that the DPRK proposal for a peace treaty was an "agile project" and the DPRK made sincere efforts for its implementation.

The US should take a positive attitude toward replacing the Korean War Armistice Agreement which was signed in 1953, with a peace treaty instead of intensifying the situation, said the commentary.

It noted that replacing the the Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty is the prerequisite for peace in the Korean Peninsula and the rest of Northeast Asia at present.

What is most important for settling the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula, the commentary said, is for the US to roll back its policy to isolate and stifle the DPRK.

It stressed the need to start talks for a peace treaty and confidence between the DPRK and the US as early as possible.

On January 18, Pyongyang renewed its demands of negotiating a peace treaty and lifting sanctions before it would return to the six-party talks, saying failure of the discussion on concluding a peace treaty would consequently "push back the process of denuclearization."

But the US dismissed the proposal later, reiterating that the first and foremost thing for Pyongyang is to return to the six-party talks.