MOSCOW, November 14 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. President Barack Obama said his country and the international community "will not be cowed" by North Korea's nuclear program, according to a transcript of his speech in Tokyo, released by The Washington Post.
"We will not be cowed by threats, and we will continue to send a clear message through our actions, and not just our words: North Korea's refusal to meet its international obligations will lead only to less security — not more," he said.
He said the U.S. was ready to offer North Korea "a different future," which, however could be achieved only through implementation of the country's international commitments.
"Instead of an isolation that has compounded the horrific repression of its own people, North Korea could have a future of international integration. Instead of gripping poverty, it could have a future of economic opportunity... And instead of increasing insecurity, it could have a future of greater security and respect," he said.
"The path for North Korea to realize this future is clear: a return to the Six-Party Talks; upholding previous commitments, including a return to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and the full and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," Obama said.
The six-party negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program, which involve Russia, the United States, China, Japan and the two Koreas, stalled late last year when Pyongyang missed a deadline to hand over nuclear data as part of a deal under which the North was promised economic aid and diplomatic incentives.
Pyongyang carried out a nuclear test on May 25 this year, followed by a series of short-range missile launches, and has threatened to build up its nuclear arsenal to counter what it calls hostile U.S. policies. The move led to the UN imposing new sanctions on North Korea banning the import and export of nuclear material and all weapons except small arms.
