North Korea says it will not return to six-party talks on its nuclear program as long as the United States subjects Pyongyang to economic sanctions.
North Korea's head of parliament Kim Yong-nam made the statement Saturday while attending the annual summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Havana, Cuba. He told delegates from more than 100 nations that the United States is not justified in asking North Korea to return to the talks unconditionally.
On the sidelines of the summit, the leaders of India and Pakistan were meeting to discuss the Kashmir region, which both of them claim.
As the summit concludes Saturday, the delegates are expected to produce a final document calling for the reform of the U.N. Security Council and defending the existence of Iran's nuclear program.
The leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Iran all made speeches Friday criticizing the United States for its foreign policy and its influence on the Security Council.
The Non-Aligned Movement was established more than four decades ago with the aim of avoiding alignment with the United States or the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Eighty-year-old Cuban President Fidel Castro, who is recovering from recent surgery, has not made an appearance at the Havana summit.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.