Gil Yon said he was in no position to comment on whether his country has nuclear weapons

SEOUL, January 11 (News Agencies) - North Korea shrugged off a global backlash over its withdrawal from a key anti-nuclear pact as diplomatic efforts quickened Saturday, January 11 to ensure the crisis does not escalate still further.

The reclusive Pyongyang regime's foreign minister, Paek Nam-Sun, confirmed to the United Nations that the pull-out from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) was effective from Saturday, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun mailed a letter to the president of the UN Security Council ... (in which) he stated that the DPRK's (North Korea) withdrawal would be effectuated from January 11, 2003," AFP quoted the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) as saying.

The pull-out from the treaty -- which seeks to limit the possession of nuclear weapons to the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain -- has sparked widespread condemnation, with even Pyongyang's traditional allies Moscow and Beijing voicing concern.

"We do not have any nuclear weapons and nor do we have any will or need to make them," North Korea's Central Broadcasting Station quoted Thae Hyong-Chol, president of the Academy of Social Sciences, as saying.

Speaking for all North Korean scientists, the chief scientist said he fully supported North Korea's decision on Friday to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty (NPT), accepting the move as a measure to protect national interests.

North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Pak Gil Yon, had earlier refused to deny that his country had nuclear weapons, pointing out that any attempt to impose sanctions in the light of its move would be regarded as a declaration of war.

"I am in no position to comment," he told a news conference when asked point blank whether North Korea had atomic weapons.

"If any forces attempt to encroach upon the sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK, it will mercilessly wipe out the aggressors and mete out stern punishment to them," said an editorial in the government-owned Minju Joson newspaper.

In the meantime, U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday, January 10, spoke to Chinese President Jiang Zemin to discuss the crisis, with Beijing one of the few regimes thought to wield any influence with Pyongyang.

"They both agree that North Korea's announcement that it was withdrawing from the non-proliferation treaty was a concern to the entire international community," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, in addition, is expected in Seoul on Sunday evening for talks with president-elect Roh Moo-Hyun and Choi.

Washington said in October that Pyongyang had admitted running a secret enriched uranium nuclear weapons program in violation of a 1994 agreement, a charge North Korea has consistently denied.

The United States subsequently declared the 1994 agreement "nullified" and halted fuel shipments, prompting North Korea to reactivate a mothballed nuclear plant and its subsequent withdrawal from the NPT.

France calls for international effort to resolve nuke crisis

For his part, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin called in Seoul Saturday, January 11, for a concerted international effort to resolve the North Korea nuclear crisis before it destabilized the whole region.

Speaking after talks here with South Korean leaders, De Villepin said the international community could broker a peaceful solution through talks involving all countries concerned.

France, as current chair of the UN Security Council, could play a key role in efforts to resolve the standoff between Pyongyang and Washington which escalated Friday, January 10, when the North withdrew from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung also urged Paris to take a leading role as de Villepin became the highest ranking foreign official to Seoul since the nuclear crisis erupted in October, a press release from the presidential Blue House said.

"Our belief is that all opportunities (for a peaceful solution) can be found through dialogue," said de Villepin. "We condemn North Korea's decision to pull out of the NPT.  We are gravely concerned over the risk of proliferation and regional destabilization brought on by North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT."

The Security Council would have to coordinate its efforts with all countries directly concerned including the two Koreas and Japan, said de Villepin.

"All possible solutions must be explored in a concerted manner," including bilateral contacts and regional dialogue "to find a "peaceful solution through dialogue," he added.

"The two ministers exchanged views on the North Korean nuclear issue and agreed that a peaceful solution must be found to defuse the crisis through dialogue," a South Korean foreign ministry official told AFP.

The French foreign minister also held talks with South Korea's president-elect Roh Moo-Hyun who will take office on February 25.

De Villepin delivered an invitation from French President Jacques Chirac for Roh to visit Paris "at the earliest opportunity".

North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT brought immediate condemnation from around the globe with South Korean President Kim saying the crisis had now lurched "from bad to worse".

Nuclear talks with N. Korea "positive," but little progress

Crucial talks Friday, January 10, between former U.S. ambassador to the UN and now governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson and North Korean envoys on Pyongyang's nuclear program were "positive" but made little progress toward easing the crisis, U.S. officials said.

But Richardson said he was hopeful that the extraordinary talks between the communist cadres and a onetime official in a previous U.S. administration would bear fruit and announced they would extend into a third day on Saturday.

"My hope is that at the end of the meeting, there will positive results but I don't want to speculate that there will be any breakthroughs," he said of the talks at his residence in Santa Fe.

Earlier, Richardson's spokesman, Billy Sparks, said both sides were "interested in substantive talks," adding: "They are positive in atmosphere but very frank."

Although no officials of the current government of President George W. Bush appeared to be present in Santa Fe, Richardson was in close telephone contact with Powell throughout the talks.

But while saying he supported Washington's policy over North Korea's nuclear activities, Richardson was at pains to stress he was not an official negotiator for the Bush government and did not speak for it.

“I want to make it clear I am not representative of the administration and I do not represent U.S. policy," he said.