North Korea Ready For Six Party Talks
North
Korea says it is ready to return to stalled six-party negotiations about its
nuclear programme and has called for direct talks with the United States.
A foreign ministry statement said the conclusion reached was that the direct
parties, the North and the United States must first sit down and find a rational
solution.
The comments follow last week's rare visit by a North Korean official to the
United States.
The North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Il had last month, said he might consider a
return to the nuclear talks he had previously declared dead - after direct talks
with Washington.
Dangling a carrot?
The US state department has however said it has not yet decided whether to
accept Pyongyang's invitation for a visit by its special envoy on North Korea,
Stephen Bosworth.
The comments were the strongest so far on the secretive state's willingness to
return to talks it walked out on last December.
Last month, leader Kim Jong-Il said he would consider rejoining the talks with
China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States, provided it had direct
discussions with Washington.
U.S. academics and former officials had indicated on Friday after meeting
Pyongyang's second ranking nuclear envoy that the North appeared to be more open
to resuming the six-way talks on its nuclear program.
North Korea's Ri Gun met the U.S. special envoy to disarmament talks in the past
week in rare contacts in the United States, viewed as prelude to a visit to
Pyongyang by senior U.S. officials.
Pyongyang has demanded direct talks with Washington as the best way to resolve
hostility it argues has given it no option but to build an atomic arsenal.
However, the United States has said there would be no negotiations outside the
six-way forum.
North Korea has been reaching out to its traditional foes after being hit by
U.N. sanctions to punish it for its second nuclear test in May. The sanctions
were aimed at cutting into its vital revenue source of overseas arms sales.
BBC/REUTERS/Yinka
