Rice: Only 'idiot' would trust N. Korea

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says only an "idiot" would trust North Korea, reiterating the United States will suspend heating oil aid to Pyongyang.

Speaking before the Council of Foreign Relations in Washington, the Voice of America quoted Rice telling the group, "I mean, who trusts the North Koreans? You'd have to be an idiot to trust the North Koreans," Yonhap, the South Korean news agency, reported Saturday.

When she made the comment, Rice was defending the Bush administration against criticism from U.S. conservatives that the United States was placing too much trust in Pyongyang in the ongoing six-party talks aimed at the denuclearization of North Korea.

The latest round of the six-party talks ended in Beijing without an agreement last week. North Korea refused to sign on to a verification protocol for its nuclear materials list, although Rice said Pyongyang has advanced a preliminary protocol that she says can be used as a basis for further talks, Yonhap said.

Rice also restated Washington's position that it will suspend heating oil aid to North Korea until Pyongyang signs a complete verification protocol, although Russia has said it will proceed with shipments.