North Korea wants substantive discussions when it returns to talks on its nuclear weapons, including confidence-building measures with Washington, Reuters quoted the head of an EU group that just visited the North said on Friday. Last weekend, North Korea ended a year-long boycott and agreed to return in the week of July 25 to stalled six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons programmes in exchange for security guarantees and economic assistance. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, rounding up a trip to Asia, said on Wednesday she was encouraged that North Korea, enticed by energy aid, might agree to a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis. The EU parliamentary delegation spent four days in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, this week at about the same time Rice was in Asia. "The DPRK does not want ceremonial, but substantial, talks," delegation head Ursula Stenzel cited North Korea's chief negotiator to the six-party talks, Kim Kye-gwan, as saying. DPRK is short for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "As (the) DPRK and U.S. are still in hostility, they want to have simultaneous steps. They want to have a package deal. They want building confidence measures first," Stenzel said. Stenzel said Kim, vice foreign minister for U.S. affairs, expressed distrust of Washington, which he said wanted to overthrow North Korea's current leaders. Kim met his U.S. counterpart, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, last Saturday in Beijing, agreeing to return to the negotiating table. --more 1120 Local Time 0820 GMT
