U.S. seeks verification plan for N. Korea

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The United States is pushing for procedures to ensure North Korea abandons its nuclear weapons program, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says.

In an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" program Sunday, Rice said the verification plan is needed because Pyongyang cannot be trusted.

"What we are negotiating is a verification protocol because nobody does trust them. And in fact, if you look at the agreement that was signed in September of 2005, it committed the North to denuclearization within a context of the Six Parties," Rice said.

The six parties involved in North Korea's nuclear disarmament are Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and the United States.

Rice said the United States has responded to each positive move the North Koreans have made toward abandoning their nuclear ambitions.

"So when they shut down the reactor, we met some of our small obligations in terms of fuel oil delivery," Rice said.

On issue of chronic violence in Sudan, Rice said the U.S. government needs to work with its allies to stabilize the region. The outgoing secretary of state said one of her regrets is not averting tragedy in Darfur, where widespread violence has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

"We could have done so much more," Rice said.