way talks, the U.S.. should withdraw its remarks about an outpost of tyranny at an early date," the North's foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Monday by its official KCNA news agency. The spokesman also said his country would regard any sanction against it a declaration of war and that it had prepared countermeasures against it. Signalling dwindling patience, Washington has said in recent weeks that it would refer the North's nuclear programmes to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions if Pyongyang continued to snub the six-party talks. "We have built the nuclear deterrent force with so much effort despite enormous difficulties in order to effectively cope with the arrogant, outrageous and brigandish method of the U.S.," the North's spokesman was quoted as saying. --More 2328 Local Time 2028 GMT