DPRK calls for sovereignty respect when dealing nuclear issue

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Sovereign rights should be respected and equality restored among the countries involved in the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, a senior official from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said here Wednesday.

Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of DPRK's Supreme People's Assembly, made the remarks at the 15th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the Egyptian Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Leading the DPRK delegation to the summit, Kim said his country's nuclear weapons serve as war deterrence to safeguard peace and security of the Korean Peninsula.

"I expect that the member states of the Non-Aligned Movement will have a correct understanding of the essence of the peculiar situation of the Korean Peninsula and take an unbiased and constructive stance on the issue," he said.

"Our righteous struggle for independence and equality is in conformity with the ideals and common interests of the Non-Aligned Movement," he added.

Resolution 1874 adopted by UN Security Council on June 12 allowed wider sanctions against the DPRK on the issue of its May 25 nuclear test.

The resolution demanded the DPRK "not conduct any further nuclear test or any launch using ballistic missile technology" and urged the isolated country to come back to the six-party talks without preconditions.

However, the DPRK rejected the resolution and announced it has quit the ceasefire agreement of the Korean War and the six-party talks.

DPRK tested seven missiles off its east coast on July 4. The missile firing came two days after the DPRK test-fired four short-ranges off its eastern coast.

Russia and China called on all sides to keep calm, while Britain and France condemned the missile test.