Pyongyang asserts hard arms stance

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SEOUL -- North Korea yesterday said it would be foolish for the United States to expect it to follow the example of "some Middle East countries," an apparent reference to Libya's decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction.

North Korea has been under international pressure to give up its nuclear weapons programs. But the communist regime is digging in with its hard-line rhetoric, heralding tough negotiations.

Yesterday, a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman hinted that the recent decisions by Libya and Iran to allow intrusive inspections of their suspected weapons programs would not affect its strategy.

"The United States is hyping recent developments in some Middle East countries, the cases orchestrated by itself," the spokesman said, without citing Libya and Iran by name. "It is seized with hallucination that the same would happen on the Korean Peninsula and some countries echo this 'hope' and 'expect' some change."

Meanwhile, a U.S. delegation reported today that it has visited North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear complex, the first time outsiders have been allowed into the plant since United Nations inspectors were expelled a year ago.

"We did go to Yongbyon," Stanford University professor John Lewis, a member of the delegation, told reporters in the Chinese capital upon the team's return from the North Korean capital.

Members of the delegation said that North Korean officials allowed them to visit the secretive Yongbyon nuclear facility and had "honored" all their requests.

"We were invited by the foreign ministry. We sent them a list of all our requests and they honored all of those requests and we made additional ones, they honored all of those," Mr. Lewis said.

He and another member of his delegation, nuclear scientist Sig Hecker, would not go into details of the five-day visit.

Mr. Hecker said he felt obliged to brief the U.S. government first.

Earlier, the North Korean spokesman, in comments carried by North Korea's official KCNA news agency, said North Korea "has never been influenced by others and this will not happen in the future."

"To expect any 'change' from the DPRK stand is as foolish as expecting a shower from a clear sky," the spokesman said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "It is the historical truth that peace is won and defended only with strength."

Last month, Libya said it was giving up its weapons of mass destruction after months of secret talks with the United States and Britain. Washington said it hoped other countries would follow Libya's example, which was designed to get the United States to lift sanctions.

Iran also agreed last month to allow international inspections of its nuclear programs, though it insists those activities are peaceful.

Earlier this week, North Korea said it would freeze its nuclear programs in exchange for U.S. aid and removal from Washington's roster of nations that sponsor terrorism.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has called the offer a "positive step" and said prospects for resuming negotiations had improved. South Korean Foreign Minister Yoon Young-kwan said the offer would help create an atmosphere favorable to a fresh round of talks.

Yesterday, officials said a Chinese delegation will visit Washington next week to discuss arrangements for the next round of talks. Fu Ying, head of the Foreign Ministry's department of Asian affairs, who has been the main contact with Washington over the talks, will meet U.S. officials Tuesday, the State Department said.