SEOUL -- North Korea said the United States was "entirely to blame" for the ongoing nuclear crisis Saturday and reiterated its call for a non-aggression pact with Washington, AFP reported.

"The U.S. is entirely to blame for the present complicated situation," a commentary carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "To peacefully resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is the consistent strand of the DPRK (North Korea). This it proposed to conclude a non-aggression treaty with the U.S. "There is no reason why the U.S. should not accept the proposal, the best way for a peaceful solution of the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula."

The U.S. rejected overnight Pyongyang's demand for a mutual non-aggression pact made through its ambassador to China, Choe Jim-su, on Friday.

"The issue is not non-aggression, the issue is whether North Korea will verifiably dismantle this nuclear enrichment program," said State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher.

Choe said Pyongyang felt threatened by Washington's "cold war style of thinking" and did not believe President George W. Bush's statement that he had no plans for an assault.

Aides to South Korean President-Elect Roh Moo-hyun revealed Friday that he was preparing a compromise deal which he hopes can bring an end to the standoff between Washington and Pyongyang, sparked by North's decision to reactivate a nuclear complex which had been mothballed since a 1994 agreement with the U.S. Reports have said Seoul may ask Washington to give North Korea a written assurance guaranteeing its sovereignty if Pyongyang first scrapped its nuclear program, which would stop short of a formal non-aggression pact.