The Los Angeles Times says negotiations on North Korea& 039 s nuclear issue are slowing down amid uncertainty ahead of U.S. elections and warns that Pyongyang may exploit the delay.

The paper said Tuesday that the diplomatic process on the North Korean nuclear arms issue - once described as the biggest security threat to the United States - has slowed to a plod and lost much of its urgency. The paper went on to suggest that all that could change after the U.S. presidential election.

The reports added that as the standoff over the North& 039 s nuclear ambitions drags into its 19th month, Pyongyang is likely exploiting delays to perfect its bomb-making technology.

The daily said some participants in the six-party talks blame the Bush administration for dragging its feet on the nuclear negotiations. One frequently voiced complaint is that Assistant Secretary of State James A. Kelly, the lead U.S. negotiator in the two previous rounds, has been given little latitude for negotiating and has been merely reading scripts prepared in Washington.