The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday said it has no intention of possessing nuclear weapons "forever" if the United States drops its hostile policy toward the country.

"Not a single nuclear weapon will be needed by us, if the United States will remove its nuclear threat and withdraw its hostile policy aiming to 'bring down the system' of the DPRK," official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in a commentary published on Monday.

The commentary also said it would take responsive measure if the US scraps its hostile policy towards the DPRK. However, it did not specify what measures would be taken.

"There is no need to illustrate what the measure is," the commentary said.

The commentary said that the DPRK has been compelled to possess nuclear weapons by the increasing nuclear threat from the US.

"The DPRK had no other option but to choose nuclear weapons to defend its ideology, system, security and sovereignty from the US moves to stifle it with nukes. It was a just defensive step, by all intents and purposes, to defend itself," the commentary added.

"It is quite logical that the US nuclear threat to the DPRK and its hostile policy toward the latter must be retracted, if the nuclear issue is to be settled", the commentary said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said recently in a radio interview that "North Korea cannot join the international community unless it abandons nuclear weapons."

On Saturday, the DPRK announced that it had agreed with the US to hold the fourth round of six-party talks in the week beginning July 25 after an undisclosed meeting between diplomats of the two countries in Beijing.

The first six-party talks, involving China, DPRK, the US, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and Japan, was launched on Aug. 27, 2003 in Beijing.

But after the third round of talks, the DPRK decided to suspend participation, citing the US' hostile policy as the reason.

Source: Xinhua