U.S. refuses to provide NKorea with nuclear reactors

The Bush administration is dismissing North Korea's demand for civilian nuclear reactors and appears confident of a final agreement to end that nation's nuclear weapons program.

The next round of negotiations is planned for early November. In the interim, informal discussions among the six negotiating nations - the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia - are expected.

"We are going to get this done," U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill said in an interview. He stressed that North Korea must agree to international restraints before its demand can be considered seriously.

In New York, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said "we will not get hung up" on the North Korean statement. "We can make progress if everybody sticks to what was actually agreed to," Rice said.

North Korea said Tuesday it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the United States provided light-water reactors, the AP reminds.

"Life is too short to overreact to every statement coming out of Pyongyang," Hill was quoted as saying by the AP.