North Korean delegation head Kim Yong Il looks over his notes during multilateral talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis, Wednesday, Aug. 27. 2003. He told the gathering that his country has the means to deliver nuclear weapons, an apparent reference to
WASHINGTON (AP) - North Korea startled a six-country conference on East Asian security by announcing its intentions to formally declare its possession of nuclear weapons and to carry out a nuclear test, a U.S. administration official said today.
North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Yong Il also told the gathering in Beijing that his country has the means to deliver nuclear weapons, an apparent reference to the North's highly developed missile program, the official said.
The comments cast a pall over Thursday's plenary session, which included representatives of the United States, South Korea, China, Japan and Russia, in addition to North Korea, raising questions about the success of negotiations scheduled to conclude Friday morning.
Nevertheless, the diplomats agreed on the need to hold more such talks and probably will, a South Korean official said....