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WH spurns NorKor talks demand

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The White House Friday rejected North Korea's demand for bilateral talks over its nuclear weapons program.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said there was "ample opportunity" for the Pyongyang government to speak directly to U.S. representatives at the six-party talks North Korea is boycotting.

"There is plenty of opportunity in the context of the six-party talks for North Korea to speak directly with us," he said. "There has been ample opportunity in the six-party talks in the past for north Korea to speak directly to us."

North Korea announced this week it possesses nuclear weapons and demanded direct negotiations with Washington over scrapping its weapons program. The Pyongyang regime wants a non-aggression treaty with Washington and economic aid as a quid pro quo.

"Keep in mind all of North Korea's neighbors in the region recognize that this is a regional problem and requires a multilateral approach for resolving it," McClellan said.

North Korea in 2002 was discovered to have violated a 1994 agreement with Washington to scrap its nuclear weapons development program in return for fuel. It later expelled international weapons inspectors and withdrew from proliferation accords.