party negotiations, which also involve South Korea, Japan and Russia. A fourth round scheduled for September never took place because North Korea refused to attend. --more In previous talks, North Korea has demanded more aid and a nonaggression treaty with Washington in exchange for giving up its nuclear development. The United States, meanwhile, wants the North to immediately and verifiably dismantle all its nuclear facilities before granting any concessions. Some foreign governments have expressed skepticism over the North's announcement that it has nuclear weapons, with some suggesting the claim is intended as leverage to gain concessions in talks. Despite the nuclear standoff, North and South Korea continue to cooperate on other levels. The South's Unification Ministry said Thursday the two Koreas will launch a joint civilian committee to prepare for the fifth anniversary celebration of the breakthrough June 2000 inter-Korean summit between then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean ruler Kim Jong Il. The summit were a dramatic move for the two Koreas _ who technically remain at war _ that dramatically boosted ties, mostly through economic projects that provide the North with badly needed cash. The committee will be officially launched Friday at the tourist resort of Diamond Mountain on the communist country's east coast, officials said.
