But North Korea, which had previously warned that it would view UN sanctions as “a declaration of war,’’ quickly dismissed the US statement as unreliable, accusing Washington of changing its position from day to day.

The exchange at UN headquarters came a day after the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog agency, approved a resolution declaring North Korea in breach of atomic safeguards and sending the crisis to the 15-nation Security Council. US envoy Richard Williamson, speaking with reporters, said the council would deal with the crisis “in a systematic manner and diplomatically.’’

Asked whether that meant sanctions were not a possibility for at least the near future, he responded: “It’s not an issue right now.’’ But Pyongyang’s UN envoy, Ambassador Pak Gil Yon, dismissed Williamson’s remarks, saying he found the word of the USA “very difficult to trust.’’

WASHINGTON: The USA would forge a new relationship with North Korea, if Pyongyang eliminates its nuclear weapons programme in a “verifiable and irreversible” manner, a top Bush administration official has said.

“We want North Korea to understand that the USA stands ready to build a different kind of relationship with it, once Pyongyang eliminates its nuclear weapons programme in a verifiable and irreversible manner, and comes into verifiable compliance with its international commitments,” Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly said here yesterday.

Kim also appealed to political parties to “make a special political decision in the national interest’’ to drop the case as the South grappled with the nuclear standoff between the Communist North and the USA.

“Now is a time of rising tensions on the Korean peninsula and the serious North Korean nuclear issue, as well as an impending Iraq war which, will have a huge impact on our country,’’ he said.

The issue of Hyundai Merchant Marine sending money to North Korea had caused “great controversy and concern’’ among the people, Kim said in a televised address.

“I feel very sorry about this. I shall take responsibility for this situation, but I ask the people to understand that this was done in sincerity in the interest of peace and the national interest.’’

Kim did not admit wrongdoing or directly address the core allegation that Seoul bought a landmark inter-Korean summit with murky cash payments of $ 192 million to Pyongyang.

Kim’s top adviser on North Korea, Lim Dong-won, said Hyundai Merchant’s payments were not related to the summit, but went towards infrastructure projects for a South Korean industrial park in North Korea which Hyundai would operate exclusively.

“We are comforted by the knowledge that we have brought our seven friends home,” said Bob Cabana, Director of Flight Crew Operations the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, in a statement yesterday.

“We are deeply indebted to the communities and volunteers who made this homecoming possible, and brought peace of mind to the crew’s families, and the entire NASA family,” Mr Cabana added.

The identifications of the astronauts were made at the military mortuary at Dover air force base.

Their death certificates were signed in Angelina county, Texas, officials said.

“We are working towards releasing the remains of the crew to their families for private memorial services,” said Eileen Hawley, a spokeswoman for the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs said he did not know the location or dates of the services. However, Ms Hawley said this was a private matter for the families and “we are trying to respect that.”

The remains of mission specialists — Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, David Brown and Laurel Clark, Shuttle commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, and payload specialist Israel-born Ilan Ramon — were brought to Dover last week.

Ramon’s remains were taken back to Israel for burial earlier this week.

Meanwhile Columbia almost certainly suffered a devastating breach allowing superheated air inside the left wing and possibly the wheel compartment during its fiery descent through earth’s atmosphere, investigators have said.

In its first significant determination, the accident investigation board announced that heat damage from a missing tile would not be sufficient to cause unusual temperature increases detected inside Columbia minutes before it disintegrated. Sensors detected an unusual heat buildup of about 30 degrees inside the wheel well before the accident. The board determined those increases were caused by the presence inside Columbia of plasma, or superheated air, with a temperature of roughly 2,000 degrees. It said investigators were studying where a breach might have occurred to allow plasma to seep inside the wheel compartment or elsewhere in Columbia’s left wing.

The ruling comes at a delicate time for Washington after South Korea was rocked by large-scale anti-American street protests and as it seeks Seoul’s help in resolving a deepening crisis over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

The Seoul-based 8th US Army said a court martial found US Sergeant Leng Sok guilty of five charges in a sexual attack in March 2002, on a South Korean soldier serving with the US Army during a training course. Sok, who had been assigned to Fort Lewis in Washington state, was convicted late yesterday of assault, indecent acts, sodomy, submission of a false official statement and conspiracy, the 8th Army said in a statement. His punishment included 30 years incarceration, forfeiture of pay and a dishonourable discharge, the statement said.

DENTIST FOUND GUILTY OF KILLING HUSBAND
HOUSTON: A Texas jury found dentist Clara Harris guilty of murder for running her unfaithful husband over with her Mercedes-Benz and then listened to testimony to help them decide whether she deserves probation or life in prison. Two women on the jury wept as their verdict was read, and later a tearful Harris apologised to her stepdaughter in an emotional courtroom outburst. Reuters