US urged to hold one-on-one talks with North Korea
As Secretary of State Colin Powell sought Chinese backing for a multilateral approach, Australia, an ally of Washington, said it, too, had concluded reluctantly that direct talks were the only way to end the four-month-old crisis.
North Korea, which insists on bilateral talks with the US and a non-aggression treaty, persuaded a summit of developing nations in Malaysia to water down a statement that sought to criticise its role in the crisis. “More than anything, dialogue between North Korea and the United States is the important key to a solution,” Kim, 78, said in an address to the nation on his last day in office.
