N.Korea Slams U.S., Japan, S.Korea

MANILA, Philippines -- Reclusive North Korea accused the U.S., Japan and South Korea of being Asia's biggest security threats and pledged to give up its nuclear weapons if they dismantle missiles aimed at it, according to a North Korean document seen Thursday.

North Korea painted a bleak picture of Asia's security in the defense paper it presented to the ASEAN Regional Forum in a closed meeting, but welcomed six-way talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula as a crucial first step toward peace.

"The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is in essence not the question of unilateral disbandment of the (North Korean) nuclear program only," said the report, seen by The Associated Press.

It said the denuclearization also depended on the removal "of more than one thousand nuclear weapons deployed in and around North Korea under the U.S. nuclear umbrella and termination of the U.S. hostile policy toward (North Korea) and its nuclear threat as well."

North Korea said it was forced to develop nuclear weapons and tested one last year because of Washington's threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike _ a plan it said was backed by Japan and South Korea.

"The DPRK had no other option but to possess nukes," the report said, using the abbreviation of the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"The DPRK will automatically not be in need of even a single nuclear weapon when the time comes when the normalization of DPRK-U.S. relations and confidence building is made," it said.

North Korea said it was important to enforce a February agreement to shut down its nuclear reactor "in good faith and refrain from acts of hindering the implementation," but did not state why it failed to meet a deadline about a month ago.

North Korea has publicly said it will not shut down the Yongbyon reactor until it gets $25 million in funds that were frozen at a bank in the Chinese territory of Macau after the U.S. blacklisted the bank in 2005.

The communist country accused the U.S., Japan and South Korea of forging "an alliance of war" and positioning an arsenal of weapons around North Korea for a future strike.

It said Washington's unilateral policy of invading countries such as Iraq and its continuing efforts to bolster its military machinery beyond the Cold War era threatens world peace.

In Asia, it said the U.S. policy of maintaining a nuclear security umbrella for Japan and South Korea has become "the greatest source of threat to peace and security" and could spark a nuclear arms race.

North Korea accused Japan of raising the issue of North Korea's past abduction of Japanese citizens to distract attention from its own past war crimes and what it says is its current pursuit of hegemony in Asia.

North Korea said the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations should become a major political player and retain its leadership of the ASEAN Regional Forum to help block military intervention in Asia.

Founded in 1994, the ASEAN Regional Forum brings together Asian and Western powers, providing an important venue to discuss threats and security flashpoints.

North Korea has been a member of the forum since 2000, but has not previously submitted any security assessments, which members voluntarily present to the forum each year.