North Korea is under diplomatic pressure

&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2001/05/08/4886.html ' target=_blank>Stephen Hadley, President George W. Bush`s national security adviser, said the U.S. has "seen some evidence" that North Korea may be ready to test a nuclear weapon and is consulting with allies about a response.

Hadley said such testing would be an act of "defiance" directed at the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and South Korea, which have been pressuring North Korea to return to talks about discontinuing its &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2003/04/23/46266.html ' target=_blank>nuclear program.

The five nations, which have had three unsuccessful rounds of negotiations with the communist nation, have expressed increased concern since U.S. and Japanese newspapers reported earlier this month that North Korea may be preparing for a weapons test, informs Bloomberg.

According to VOA News, the six-party talks bring together the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia. They began in August, 2003 but stalled last year after North Korea refused to return to the negotiating table.