US prepared to talk directly with NK on nuke issue

Washington prepared to talk directly with North Korea on nuclear issue

The US State Department has said that it is willing to hold direct talks with North Korea, if it will help persuade them to return to the six-party talks aimed at dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

By David Eimer in Beijing
Published: 10:49AM BST 12 Sep 2009

Bill Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, met with North Korea's secretive leadership, last month. Photo: EPA
The move comes just one week after the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea declared that it was close to being able to enrich uranium, a development that would give the outlaw regime a potential second means of building nuclear weapons.

Until now, the US has insisted it would only speak directly to North Korea if it agreed to re-join the six-party talks. Pyongyang pulled out of the talks in April, following international condemnation of its launch of a long-range missile. But Washington denied it had reversed its policy on direct negotiations with North Korea, instead describing the move as a “short-term” measure.

“We’ve made no decisions at this point, other than just to say we are prepared for a bilateral talk, if that will help advance the six-party process,” said US State Department spokesman Philip Crowley. South Korea said it would back the talks if they could help resolve the nuclear issue.

While there is no date set for any direct talks, the announcement is a sign of Washington’s anxiety over Pyongyang’s refusal to return to the negotiating table just as the development of its nuclear programme appears to be gathering pace.

Pyongyang will see the offer of direct talks as proof that its long-standing policy of alternating threats with concessions remains effective. In May, North Korea tested a second nuclear device to worldwide outrage. But in August, it released two US journalists it had been holding for illegally crossing into the DPRK and sent a high-level delegation to attend the funeral of former South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung. Both moves were regarded as a sign that Pyongyang was in a more conciliatory mood.

Later in August, North Korean diplomats met New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson at their request. Mr Richardson said subsequently that Pyongyang wanted a “new format” for dialogue and that meant direct talks with the US.

Washington’s failure to respond is likely to have prompted North Korea to confirm publicly for the first time earlier this month that it was trying to enrich uranium.

[link to www.telegraph.co.uk]