Meanwhile, North Korea blocked attempts by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit to formulate a common position on its nuclear ambitions by insisting on a new formulation.

The NAM, which threw out a bid by Pyongyang to blame the United States for the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, instead urged the Stalinist North to reverse its decision to quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Delegates said the wording of a resolution to be presented at a summit of the movement beginning here Monday had been agreed before Pyongyang changed its mind and insisted on a new formulation, AFP reported.

The draft called for a peaceful resolution of the crisis and "underlined the importance of the Democratic Republic of North Korea's participation in the NPT," to which Pyongyang later wanted to add "and to ensure the security of the DPRK."

This was unacceptable and appeared contradictory to many of the member states, an African delegate said, adding that the debate would continue Monday.

North Korean number two Kim Yong-Nam, leading Pyongyang's delegation to the summit, met for less than an hour Sunday with Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri, who has offered to mediate in the crisis.

"Our impression is that the positions held by North Korea and the U.S. are still far apart," Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda told reporters.

"It is the preference of the North Korean government to settle the crisis through dialogue and negotiations on the basis of equal footing."

The Stalinist North originally wanted NAM to declare the "removal of the constant threats of the U.S. against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) constitute a precondition for ensuring a stable peace and security on the Korean Peninsula."

North Korea had also wanted NAM leaders to "express the view that the hostile policy of the United States against the DPRK should be given up" and support a non-aggression treaty between Washington and Pyongyang.

With the United States and South Korea attending the summit as observers, Pyongyang had looked to its membership in NAM, which consists mainly of developing countries, as "one of the few friendly venues," said a Southeast Asian diplomat.

But Seoul and Washington mounted a strong lobby against the North Korean position on the sidelines of the meeting.

Washington is demanding that North Korea renounce its nuclear weapons ambitions before it will agree to negotiate with Pyongyang, which insists on a non-aggression pact and direct talks first.

U.S Diplomatic Flurry

In another related development, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell arrived in china on his second leg of a three-nation tour of north Asia on a mission to secure Chinese support for a new U.N. resolution on Iraq and backing for the U.S. approach on North Korea.

Washington is also pushing hard for China to use its influence with North Korea and urge Pyongyang to drop its insistence on direct talks with Washington to resolve concerns over its rogue nuclear programs.

But Powell, who meets President Jiang Zemin, Communist Party chief Hu Jintao and Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan Monday, has his work cut out for him as China, North Korea’s top ally, has been thus far non-committal on an Iraq resolution and nearly hostile on U.S. plans for North Korea.

Beijing has sided with Pyongyang in its demands for bilateral talks with Washington as opposed to the multilateral discussions sought by the United States.

In China, Powell "looks forward to considering with the Chinese how to build on their existing efforts with North Korea," said U.S State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

Chinese “Can Do More”

But a senior State Department official said Powell thinks the Chinese "can do more" to accept a multilateral forum for talks to end the stand-off.

"They have leverage," Powell said Friday, noting a recent increase in contacts between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Those contacts seem to have only entrenched Chinese support for North Korea's demand for bilateral talks with the United States.

But Powell has stood his ground.

"These concerns must be addressed in a multilateral forum," Powell said in Tokyo, adding, "This should be of great concern to all of us as we think about entering into a discussion."

Any discussion, the top U.S. diplomat added, " should be multilateral so that we can find a way to put in place assurances for all the parties," he said.

"As we solve the problem this time, we must find a solution that will remove the nuclear potential on the peninsula and at the same time provide assistance for the North Korean people for the real problems they are facing," Powell said.

The crisis erupted in October after the United States accused North Korea of running a secret uranium-enrichment program and later cut off fuel aid to the energy-starved regime.

Pyongyang responded by expelling UN inspectors, pulling out of the NPT and reactivating a mothballed plant capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium.