US warns DPRK to return to negotiations

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Play VideoUS still seeks diplomatic solution to DPRK´s nuclear program

US special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth says the US and its allies are determined to address a "growing threat" from the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs.

Bosworth told US lawmakers in Washington on Thursday that the US would NOT accept the DPRK as a nuclear weapon state.

He also said the US would do what it must to provide for its own security, as well as the security of its allies.

Stephen Bosworth, US Special Envoy on North Korea, said, "If North Korea does not heed the unanimous call of the international community and return to negotiations to achieve the irreversible dismantlement of their nuclear and ballistic missile capacity, the United States and our allies and partners in the region will need to take the necessary steps to assure our security in the face of this growing threat. In the interests of all concerned we very much hope that North Korea will choose the path of diplomacy rather than confrontation."

U.S. President Barack Obama's special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 11, 2009, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)