North Korea proposes six-way talks on nuclear crisis

NORTH KOREA said yesterday it has proposed six-way talks with its north Asian neighbours and the US on its nuclear weapons programme, but made clear it had not yet given up hope of a one-on-one meeting with the Americans.

A foreign ministry spokesman said North Korean officials had met US counterparts in New York on Thursday and proposed holding the six-way talks, which would also include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.

In Washington, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the US would “continue to focus on the multilateral approach” to talks with Pyongyang. However, he did not exclude bilateral talks.