SEOUL -- North Korea says it will not adhere to its demands for bilateral talks to settle the dispute over its nuclear arms program, the Korea Times reported Sunday.
The country said the key to the standoff lies in a change in United States policy.
"We have said on many occasions that the nuclear issue will be settled through dialogue and negotiations and the format of the talks would not be important," North Korea's Foreign Ministry spokesman said. "As for bilateral talks with the U.S., we didn't have any expectations as the U.S. was opposed to them, so we did not wait for them."
The first statement by North Korea's Foreign Ministry since President Bush was re-elected indicated a slight change in the nation's attitude, but with little difference in its rhetoric.
North Korea boycotted the six-nation talks aimed at ending its two-year-long nuclear standoff with the U.S. in an apparent bid to buy time until the outcome of the U.S. election was known.
