Peace treaty the best route to denuclearization: DPRK state media

PYONGYANG, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- The conclusion of a peace treaty would push forward the Korean peninsula's denuclearization process, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) official KCNA news agency said Wednesday.

In a commentary, KCNA said a peace treaty would help build confidence between the DPRK and the United States to end hostile relations and give strong impetus to the denuclearization process.

It was illogical to assert that the establishment of the peacekeeping regime was a matter to be taken up after the nuclear issue was settled. "This was nothing but an artifice to dodge the proposal," KCNA said.

It said denuclearization talks had been held for years without addressing the issue of peace, which proved anything that started without confidence could never gain good results.

The DPRK's proposal was to put an end to the vicious cycle of distrust and to build confidence to advance the denuclearization course, it added.

The country's official newspaper, Rodong Simun, on Tuesday also called for giving priority to a peace treaty, saying the most "realistic way" of preventing another war in the Korean Peninsular was to replace the outdated Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty as soon as possible.

On Jan. 18, Pyongyang renewed its demands of negotiating a peace treaty and lifting sanctions before it would return to the six-party talks, saying failure of the discussion on concluding a peace treaty would consequently "push back the process of denuclearization."

But the U.S. later dismissed the proposal, reiterating that Pyongyang must first return to the six-party talks.