North Korea says it will not return to the six-way nuclear talks until U.S. financial sanctions are lifted against it.

At the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Cuba, the president of the North's parliament Kim Yong-nam called "excessive" Washington’s demand that Pyongyang return to the talks while maintaining sanctions against the North.

Kim criticized Washington for creating an unpredictable situation by unilaterally imposing sanctions.

His statement is the first from a high-ranking North Korean official since South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun's summit with U.S. President George W. Bush last week, when the two leaders urged Pyongyang's return to the negotiating table.