North Korea talks confirm US doubts

NORTH Korea strongly implied in public yesterday it had deployed nuclear weapons and accused Washington of using the North’s comments on atomic bombs at talks last week as a “mean trick” to hinder progress.

The State Department says North Korea told US negotiators at the talks in Beijing Pyongyang had nuclear weapons, something US intelligence has long suspected.

The United States has described a North Korean disarmament proposal made in Beijing as blackmail but promised to study it. The Bush administration is divided about how to proceed.