As everybody knows, Bush forced N. Korea to build a Nuclear Deterrent

N.Korea Shows U.S. Delegation 'Nuclear Deterrent'

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea (news - web sites) said on Saturday it had shown a visiting U.S. delegation its "nuclear deterrent" and hoped this would provide a basis for a peaceful settlement of the row with the United States over its nuclear activities.

The U.S. group, which flew to Beijing on Saturday after a five-day visit to North Korea, were the first outsiders allowed into the Yongbyon nuclear complex since U.N. inspectors were expelled a year ago.

"As everybody knows, the United States compelled the DPRK (North Korea) to build a nuclear deterrent," the official North Korean news agency KCNA, monitored in London, quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying.

"We showed this to (delegation head John) Lewis and his party this time.

"...if the visit of Lewis and the nuclear specialist and their party helped the U.S. even a bit to drop its ambiguous view on the DPRK's nuclear activities, it would serve as a substantial foundation for a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue between the DPRK and the U.S. in the future," he added.

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