April 15th, 2013
04:39 AM ET

Kerry stands firm on North Korea

As North Koreans celebrated the birthday on Monday of their country's late founder, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged the regime in Pyongyang to ditch its nuclear program and put a lid on its fiery threats if it wants to hold talks.

"The United States has made clear many times what the conditions are for our entering talks and they haven't changed," Kerry said during an interview with CNN's Jill Dougherty in Tokyo.

"The conditions have to be met where the North has to move towards denuclearization, indicate a seriousness in doing so by reducing these threats, stop the testing, and indicate it's actually prepared to negotiate," he said.

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Filed under: U.S. • World
soundoff (10 Responses)
  1. s kel

    Ok cnn he stands firm,and......?

    April 15, 2013 at 11:44 am | Report abuse |
  2. saywhat

    Pre conditions = no talks.
    great way to resolve a potentially disastrous issue.

    April 15, 2013 at 12:05 pm | Report abuse |
  3. saywhat

    Its foolish to assume that the North would scrap its nuclear program to talk with us. Who does the thinking (or does anyone?)

    April 15, 2013 at 12:08 pm | Report abuse |
    • Pete

      @saywhat,hate to tell yah but N Koreas nuclear program had been in mothballs for years and just recently UN against his governments advise decided to start it up again!!Where have you been!!

      April 15, 2013 at 4:24 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Raul

    The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency was conceived to prevent nuclear proliferation. In that, they have miserably failed. Instead, the UN redistributes wealth from developed countries to the third world. But the third world keeps governing stupidly, which is why they're poor in the first place. And the uS, one of 193 countries, still pays twenty-five percent of the UN budget. Kerry is weak and impotent. The UN is weak and impotent. North Korea is irrational and nucleqar armed. This is a train wreck predictable from a mile out.

    April 15, 2013 at 12:44 pm | Report abuse |
  5. chrissy

    Yup @ Raul, train wreck is the perfect way to describe it. And yes @ saywhat, our country needs to shut up and stop provoking him!

    April 15, 2013 at 1:03 pm | Report abuse |
  6. saywhat

    They are not weak & impotent@ Raul
    UN is ruled by the 5 permanent members and each looks out for its own interest & Kerry is a functionary of one of these members.

    April 15, 2013 at 2:15 pm | Report abuse |
  7. saywhat

    UN would serve the purpose it was supposedly created for only if the permanent membership is widened & the dictatorial veto is abolished.

    April 15, 2013 at 2:20 pm | Report abuse |
  8. saywhat

    As for our funding UN, we shorted on dues for years but in 2009 Congress allowed US to pay in full. I have no idea if arrears were paid too.

    April 15, 2013 at 2:26 pm | Report abuse |
  9. saywhat

    And then we have been getting significant return on our 'investment' as its our interests that UN advances the most.

    April 15, 2013 at 2:27 pm | Report abuse |
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