North Korea warns of war but repeats offer of talks with US

A top North Korean envoy has said America's hostility could lead to war any time, but reaffirmed that it was ready for talks with Washington.

The envoy added that if the talks take place they would also include the nuclear weapons issue.

According to the Japan Times, North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Sin Son Ho, at a news conference accused the United States of driving up tensions and appealed for an end to U.N. and U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang.

Sin said that the most pressing issue in Northeast Asia is the hostile relations between the DPRK and the U.S., which can lead to another war at any moment.

Sin reiterated North Korea's surprise offer to hold wide-ranging senior-level talks with the United States to end tension on the Korean Peninsula and ensure peace and security in the region, the report said.

Sin said U.S.-South Korean war games risk leading the Korean Peninsula into 'another vicious cycle of tensions and conflict'.

He said that U.N. and U.S. sanctions against North Korea, reinforced since its nuclear test in February, were nothing but blackmail, the report added.