Beijing: North Korea today (Feb 26, 2004) offered to freeze its nuclear programmes, including those for peaceful purposes, if the US gave up its "hostile policy" against Pyongyang as envoys to the six-party talks on the vexed issue discussed a first phase action for realising a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

A senior North Korean official told reporters that Pyongyang had proposed its stance to freeze all its nuclear programmes on the second day of the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue.

"We, the DPRK (North Korea) delegation, offered to abandon our nuclear programme if the United States gives up its hostile policy against DPRK," the unnamed official said in front of the North Korean Embassy.

Earlier, Russian, Chinese and South Korean envoys confirmed that Pyongyang had agreed to comprehensively dismantle its nuclear weapons programme in return for a non-aggression pledge from the United States and a possible energy aid package from China, Russia and South Korea.

Alexander Losiukov, Russian Vice Foreign Minister and head of the Russian delegation, said that North Korea agreed to renounce its nuclear weapons programme on the pre-condition that the United States gave a assurance of non-aggression and respect the country's sovereignty.