Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) North Korea neither confirmed nor denied accusations that it is preparing an underground atomic test. This came in an editorial in Rodono Shinmun, the official paper of the North Korean Communist Party, which wrote: "The United States is fussing over whether or not to notify the International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan and other related countries of its own suspicions that [North Korea] may be preparing to conduct an underground nuclear test in June."
Pyongyang further raised doubts about restarting the six-nation talks if the US were included. The article said: "We will go straight along the way we have chosen without any agitation regardless of whatever they say or what pressure they try to put on us. We are taking a bold stance: the United States may do whatever they want."
The editorial comment also contained a personal attack against US President George W. Bush, "the world's worst fascist dictator, a super-class war maniac and another Hitler, waving hands tainted with the blood of innocent people."
China made US diplomatic woes worse by saying it opposed using "strong-arm" tactics to force North Korea to cut its nuclear weapons programme.
"We have normal relations with our neighbour, a relationship of equals," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. "We don't agree with strong-arm tactics; that would be counterproductive. This is why Beijing rejected a US proposal to cut North Korea's oil supply."
Six-nation talks involve the two Koreas, Russia, China, Japan and the US on North Korea's nuclear programmes.
They have been in limbo since North Korea walked out of the third round of discussions in June 2004.
On February 10, the North Korean regime confirmed that it had nuclear weapons and was planning to build more.
More recently, it reactivated its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, 90 km north of Pyongyang, which according to international experts could produce enough plutonium for six more bombs.
