calendar>>January 29. 2010 Juch 99

US Urged to Make Decision to Conclude Peace Treaty

Pyongyang, January 29 (KCNA) -- Not a few days have passed since the DPRK Foreign Ministry upon the authorization released a statement in which it courteously proposed to the parties to the Armistice Agreement an early start of the talks to replace the AA with a peace treaty this year marking the lapse of 60 years since the outbreak of the Korean war. But some forces are repeating their assertion that the DPRK should "dismantle its nukes first" and advertising the effectiveness of "sanctions" in a bid to play down the validity and significance of the realistic proposal of the DPRK.

Rodong Sinmun Friday observes in a signed commentary in this regard:

This cannot be interpreted as the remarks made by those who truly wish for peace, stability and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The DPRK's proposal for concluding a peace treaty is a reasonable way for comprehensively and fully implementing the September 19 Joint Statement.

If the joint statement is to be implemented, the spirit of mutual respect and equality, a vital element of the statement, should not be defiled and, at the same time, such thing as the misrepresentation of the order of action should not be allowed. The above-said proposal of the DPRK represents the most correct option for settling the issues of peace and denuclearization of the peninsula.

It is the purport of the DPRK's proposal to put an end to the vicious cycle of distrust and build confidence with a view to pushing ahead with denuclearization. It is beyond any doubt that there will be a starting point of confidence building if the parties to the AA properly understand the purport of the DPRK's proposal and come out and sit at the negotiating table for concluding a peace treaty.

If a peace treaty is concluded through negotiations, confidence will be built between the DPRK and the U.S. to put an end to the hostile relations and give a strong impetus to the denuclearization of the peninsula.

Those parties concerned would be well advised to judge the hardcore and fundamental issue with reason and make a bold decision to respond to the above-mentioned just and realistic proposal of the DPRK without delay.