N. Korea's Nuke Freeze Overture

North Korea offered an apparent counterproposal Tuesday to a U.S.-backed plan to resolve the standoff over its nuclear program, saying it would freeze the project in return for energy aid and being removed from Washington's list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

The proposal came a day after the United States, Japan and South Korea presented their own blueprint for ending the nuclear standoff as the nations race to arrange another round of six-way talks on easing tensions.

The White House reacted coolly to North Korea's overture without rejecting it outright.

"We, along with the rest of the members of the six-party talks, are ready for a new round of talks at an early date, and without any preconditions whatsoever," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

He repeated President Bush's demand for a "complete, irreversible verifiable" halt to North Korea's nuclear program, and said Pyongyang "has yet to commit to doing what is necessary to achieving a de-nuclearized peninsula."

Details of the U.S.-backed proposal are unclear, but South Korean officials say it calls for "coordinated steps." Press reports say it seeks agreement on three principles — a peaceful solution to the nuclear crisis; a complete, verifiable and irrevocable dismantling of North Korea's nuclear program; and security assurances for North Korea.

A spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called the proposal "greatly disappointing," because its aim was to "completely eliminate our nuclear deterrent force by giving just a piece of paper called 'written security assurances"' which is "no more than a commitment."

Instead, North Korea proposed freezing its nuclear activities in exchange for "measures such as the U.S. de-listing the DPRK as a 'terrorism sponsor,' lift of the political, economic and military sanctions and blockade and energy aid including the supply of heavy fuel oil and electricity by the U.S. and neighboring countries," the spokesman was quoted as saying by North Korea's official news agency, KCNA.

DPRK stand for Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

"This would lay a foundation for furthering the six-way talks," the spokesman said. "What is clear is that in no case the DPRK would freeze its nuclear activities unless it is rewarded."

While Washington and its allies have sought the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear programs, Tuesday's offer from Pyongyang offered only to "freeze" them as a first step. The spokesman added, however, that the long-term goal is to "de-nuclearize the Korean peninsula."

During a first round of six-way talks between the United States, Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas, held in August in Beijing, North Korea recommended a package deal in which each side takes four steps.

Under its initial proposal, North Korea would declare its willingness to give up nuclear development, allow nuclear inspections, give up missiles exports and finally dismantle its nuclear weapons facilities. In return, it demanded economic and humanitarian aid, security assurances, diplomatic ties and new power plants.

Pyongyang had wanted Washington to issue the security assurances simultaneously with a renunciation of its nuclear weapons program. The United States wanted the North to move first.

On Tuesday, North Korea seemed to back away from its previous demand that Washington and its allies accept its "package" deal at one time. It demanded that at least the first-phase action be agreed upon.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said it had no immediate comment on the North's counterproposal.

Participants in the six-way talks have been trying for weeks to jump-start a second round of negotiations. The first round, in Beijing, ended without much progress, and participants had hoped for a new meeting in mid-December.

North Korea has often tried used the ongoing nuclear confrontation with the United States and its allies as a means to win badly needed economic aid and diplomatic recognition.

North Korea's energy woes deepened when the United and its allies cut off 147 million gallons of annual free oil shipments late last year after U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a clandestine nuclear weapons program in violation of international agreements.

Earlier this month, Washington and its allies also suspended construction of two new nuclear power plants in North Korea in retaliation for the communist state's nuclear ambitions.

North Korea has long demanded to be removed from the U.S. State Department list of countries suspected of sponsoring terrorism, which effectively blocks it from getting any development funds from the World Bank and other international lending organizations.

It has been listed as such since 1988 because of its alleged involvement in the bombing of a South Korean airliner in the skies near Myanmar in 1987. All 115 people aboard the Korean Air flight died.

Meanwhile, a nine-member European Union delegation arrived for North Korea on Tuesday for a three-day trip aimed at salvaging the proposed second round, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, citing KCNA. The group was to make a rare trip through the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas later this week on its way to Seoul for more talks on the crisis.