UN: North Korea cannot end war armistice

The United Nations said Monday that an armistice which halted the 1950-53 Korean War remains valid despite claims by North Korea to have scrapped the accord. "Let me just stress here that the armistice agreement is still valid and still in force" as it was approved by the UN General Assembly, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters. "The terms of the armistice agreement do not allow either side, unilaterally, to free themselves from it." North Korean state media had said earlier that the armistice was "completely invalid." That statement came as Pyongyang steps up tensions over UN sanctions against a nuclear bomb test last month and joint South Korean-US military exercises launched Monday. UN leader Ban Ki-moon believes that the 60-year-old armistice remains a "critical" document, said Nesirky. Ban calls on North Korea "to continue to respect the terms of the armistice agreement as it was approved by the General Assembly," the spokesman added.