Former UN chief arms inspector Hans Blix said Monday that the world needs to make clear to North Korea that they are not trying to overthrow the regime as they try to persuade North Korea to stop developing nuclear weapons.

• Hans Blix: “It might be more useful to say: “Look here, we are not out for regime change here, that is for the Korean people and for you to do. But the world is very concerned if you move on with the nuclear weapons. And we the outside world are willing to try to create conditions where you don’t need them. We can give you assurances, on paper, that you will not be attacked from the outside, and that we will not try to change your regime.”

Hans Blix also criticized the United States for promoting a double-standard.

• Hans Blix: “Of course we all regret and even the Security Council condemns the tests, but we must remember then that they are condemned for doing something the US and other countries are reserving themselves the right to do. The United States has refused to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. They keep test-ban test-areas open in the United States, so here is someone telling Korea, 'you must not do that, but we of course might do so in the future.'”