North Korea said on Monday it wanted all sanctions lifted before it would discuss implementing a nuclear disarmament deal.
It also said it would end its nuclear weapons programme only if a new light-water reactor was built.
North Korea made the demands at the opening day of six-party talks in Beijing aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons, according to a source close to the talks.
The United Nations imposed a range of sanctions after North Korea tested a nuclear device on October 9.
Washington imposed separate financial restrictions more than a year ago, accusing Pyongyang of counterfeiting banknotes and laundering illicit earnings.
Pyongyang said all sanctions must be lifted before it would discuss implementing a ”joint statement” from September 2005, in which it promised to end its nuclear weapons development in return for aid and security assurances, the source said.
The talks bring together the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia. They restarted on Monday after a gap of more than a year.
North Korea had refused to rejoin the talks because of objections to the US financial restrictions.
North Korea has said it wants a light-water nuclear reactor before it gives up its current atomic activities. It is more difficult to extract weapons-grade nuclear material, such as plutonium, from light-water reactors than from North Korea’s ageing graphite reactor. – Reuters