N. Korea calls on countries to clarify views on 'nuke standoff'

  North Korea on Thursday called on countries involved in the "nuclear standoff" on the Korean Peninsula to clarify their views on what future actions should be taken that can either lead to war or peace.

   In an article carried by the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, Pyongyang said the world at large should not underestimate the dangers of nuclear war.

   "DPRK-U.S. nuclear war goes beyond the two countries," it stressed.

   The paper monitored in Seoul then claimed that if responsible countries had taken the time to lay down their positions and fulfilled their duties, the current state of tension would not have materialized in the first place.

   It added that now is the time that countries come forward with their views on how to handle the impasse that can lead to conflict or peace.

   "All parties that want peace should unite and end the plot by U.S. imperialists to start a nuclear war," the paper said.

Pyongyang frequently refers to Washington as an imperialistic power.

   Related to the Rodong Sinmun, North Korean watchers in Seoul said it may be a sign that the communist country is seeking a peaceful solution to its confrontation with the United States.

The North triggered almost universal condemnation for launching a long-range rocket in December, followed by the detonation of its third nuclear device on Feb. 12, that caused the United Nations to pass a resolution condemning the action and ordering fresh sanctions.

   The North has responded by ratcheting up tension by warning it will turn Seoul and Washington into a "sea of fire" and threatening to launch pre-emptive nuclear strikes against its enemies.

   Local experts speculated that the North's reference to the nuclear impasse involving many countries may be a sign that it wants resumption of six-party talks that effectively broke down in 2009 with little progress being made. The two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia are members in the discussion that first kicked off in 2003.