Rice Says 'Jury Is Out' On North Korea

Condoleezza Rice (file photo) (AFP) 16 November 2005 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today said North Korea has not yet proved it is serious about the dismantling and verifying of its nuclear weapons program.

Rice made the remarks to reporters in the South Korean port city of Pusan on the edges of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, She said "the jury is out" on whether the North "is to get serious about dismantlement and verification measures."

Rice was speaking to reporters after meeting the other four parties involved in negotiations with North Korea, except for the communist state itself.

The six parties involved in the disarmament negotiations -- the two Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia, and China -- broke for recess on 4 November after three days of talks in Beijing aimed at negotiating an end to Pyongyang's nuclear-weapons programs.

(Reuters)