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Russia slams N Korea report
05/12/2006 20:41 - (SA)
Moscow - Reports that North Korea would offer Russia exclusive rights to its uranium deposits in exchange for support at stalled talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions were "provocative", the Russian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
The Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun reported the offer this week, citing unnamed Russian officials.
"The Russian foreign ministry does not consider it necessary to comment on reports by certain mass media that have a provocative character," the ministry said in response to a query from ITAR-Tass, the agency reported.
A spokesperson for Rosatom - the country's atomic energy agency - said "the origin of this information isn't known, but on principle Rosatom does not comment on rumours", ITAR-Tass said.
Also on Tuesday, the Interfax news agency cited deputy foreign minister Alexander Alexeyev as saying he knew nothing about the purported offer.
The newspaper said North Korea had recently offered Russia exclusive rights to the uranium in exchange for open support at the six-party talks on the North's nuclear programme.
- AP
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