North Korea nuclear standoff real potential for war says UN envoy

North Korea's nuclear standoff with the United States has the potential to develop into war, according to the the United Nations envoy to Pyongyang.

"There is a real potential for this escalating into conflict," Maurice Strong said. "I think war is unnecessary, unthinkable in its consequences, and yet it is entirely possible."

"So much of this often arises from a breakdown of trust, a breakdown of confidence, an inability to read the real intentions of signals of others," he said. "This is certainly true here."

Strong, who discussed the North Korea crisis with British ministers this week, said he believed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan could help to break the stalemate and bring Washington and Pyongyang together for talks.

"He (Annan) has offered to do what he can to assist the parties in finding modalities that will enable them to meet. We do believe that can be bridged," Strong said.

The UN Security Council will meet on Wednesday to discuss North Korea, following weeks of pressure from the United States and resistance from China.

North Korea wants bilateral discussions to resolve the crisis - a view China supports - while the United States insists on multilateral talks.

The nuclear standoff began after Pyongyang expelled UN inspectors, pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and reactivated a mothballed power plant after Washington said in October it had admitted to an atomic arms programme.

The US-led war on Iraq has sparked real concerns in North Korea that it will be Washington's next target.

Washington - which has lumped Iraq, Iran and North Korea together in an "axis of evil" - says it seeks a diplomatic solution but does not rule out military action.

Strong said the topic of economic sanctions for North Korea could enter the debate at the Security Council, although he did not expect the meeting to produce any specific results.

The Security Council has the power to punish nations for violating international non-proliferation treaties but North Korea has said the imposition of economic sanctions would be tantamount to a "declaration of war".

"I can't imagine the Security Council moving quickly to impose sanctions," the envoy said, adding that he expected the meeting to be "contentious".

Strong said he did not believe the United States wanted to attack and nor did Pyongyang want war, although it was "prepared" for it and had been for many years.

Pyongyang has said nuclear war is inevitable unless Washington changes its ways and it wants the United States to give it a "security guarantee" that it will not be attacked. The US is "prepared to give some form of security guarantee", Strong said.

But Washington did not believe it was feasible to agree to a non-aggression pact.

- REUTERS