France Says Time Not Ripe for Diplomatic Ties With DPRKFrance said Friday it is not prepared to establish diplomatic relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea for the time being."We think time is not ripe for establishing diplomatic relations with the North Korea. We do not think it is in accordance with the interests of our country," said Francois Rivasseau, spokesman of the French Foreign Ministry. France and Ireland are the only two nations in the 15-member European Union that have not built diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. "We have taken notes of the responses from the North Korean side. But we find neither evolution in its positions nor concrete elements that answer to our requests," said the spokesman. DPRK's Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon visited Europe on a secret itinerary earlier this week. During his three-day stay in France, Choe met with Foreign Ministry official in charge of Asian affairs, which was widely seen as an initial step to start talks on forging diplomatic relations. |
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