Japan trying to wreck nuke talks: N Korea

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SEOUL, Feb 19 (AFP): North Korea Tuesday urged Japan to pull out of six-party nuclear negotiations, saying it is trying to turn the forum into a 'platform for confrontation'.
Minju Joson, newspaper of the communist state's cabinet, said Japan appeared to be working hard to torpedo the talks on scrapping the North's nuclear programmes in exchange for energy aid and diplomatic and security benefits.
"Japan is taking much pains to turn the six-party talks into a platform for confrontation," the paper said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
"It is its ulterior motive to escalate its policy of pressure upon the DPRK (North Korea) under the pretext of the 'abduction issue' and scuttle the above-said talks in case everything goes against its will."
Tokyo's behaviour in finding fault with the talks "only reminds one of the scandalous action of the mentally deranged fellow," the paper said.
The talks, which began in 2003, group the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan.
Tokyo refuses to provide its share of the promised energy aid until Pyongyang accounts for Japanese kidnapped during the Cold War era.