MOSCOW, July 28 (UPI) -- A Russian diplomat involved in the six-party talks says North Korea has no nuclear weapons ready for use.
Interfax news agency describes the diplomat as a source close to the negotiations over North Korea's nuclear plans.
The diplomat said the North Korean government now describes the country as a nuclear power because they have the technical capability to manufacture nuclear weapons. That took several decades because the country had difficulty developing the capacity to manufacture detonators.
Interfax said its source does not believe that North Korea will spend money on a nuclear arsenal as long as its leaders expect a good outcome from the six-party talks with the United States, Japan, China, Russia and South Korea.
"North Korea will have to develop a nuclear arsenal for self-defense if the United States and its allies do not provide safety guarantees to Pyongyang or if they make unacceptable demands on it," the diplomat said.
