The White House rejected direct negotiations with North Korea on Tuesday, after the communist nation said it would be willing to negotiate with the U.S. The White House has said it will not hold negotiation talks unless South Korea, Japan, China and Russia are allowed to participate.
"This is the way North Korea typically negotiates by threat and intimidation," said U.S. Ambassador John Bolton, according to the Associated Press. "It's worked for them before. It won't work for them now."
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow suggested the nuclear test was not what it seemed and there is a “remote possibility” the world may never know if North Korea actually completed a test, according to the AP.
"You could have something that is very old and off-the-shelf here, as well, in which case they've dusted off something that is old and dormant," he said, the wire service reported.
Snow again pushed the U.S. desire for six nation negotiations.
"The Chinese, the South Koreans, the Japanese — they all have more direct leverage over the North Koreans than we do," Snow said, according to the AP. "The people who have the greatest ability to influence behavior are now fully invested in equal partners in a process to deal with the government of North Korea."
