1.   North Korea, irritated by the pause, responded this week by saying that it had no choice but to regard the entire peace talks proposal as withdrawn.

2.   Several securities firms resisted those settlement talk proposals, however.

3.   In Cairo, however, Shaath held out little hope for the talks proposal, as Peres had no mandate to bring about a truce.

4.   North Korea preparing reply to four-power talks proposal.

5.   North Korea attended a meeting in New York earlier this month to consider the four-party talks proposal.

6.   North Korea has said that it would study the four-way peace talks proposal.

7.   The talks proposal calls for the two Koreas, along with China and the United States, to draw up a peace treaty.

8.   While China has previously expressed support for the peace talks proposal, it has not made a firm commitment to participate.

9.   Burns said Pyongyang had given no indication of its response to the four-party talks proposal and had only made clear that an answer was forthcoming.

10.   Earlier Thursday, State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said the United States was ready to give North Korea a detailed briefing on the peace talks proposal.