Washington ready to talk to North Korea

The US says it is willing to talk to North Korea but will not make concessions to freeze Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

North Korea had no immediate response today to a new offer to talk, but South Korea welcomed the development and hoped that dialogue will help convince the communist state to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

“We, of course, welcome the decision,” said Chun Young-woo, a director-general in the foreign ministry. “We hope North Korea reconsiders its defiant posture and resolves tensions over its nuclear programmes.”

Ending two days of consultations in Washington with its Asian allies, South Korea and Japan, the United States said it is willing to talk to North Korea.

A statement, approved by the three allies, endorsed dialogue with North Korea as a useful vehicle for resolving serious issues.

The three delegations also stressed that North Korea could improve its relations with the rest of the world by eliminating its nuclear weapons programmes.

Washington’s previous position was that it would not talk to North Korea unless the communist state scraps its weapons programmes first.

“As for bringing North Korea back in line with the rest of the international community, the joint statement says we are prepared for discussions,” said Japan’s top government spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda.

South Korean television stations flashed the news, hailing it as “a possible breakthrough” in the stand-off.

“The decision is seen as a significant change in Washington’s policy in dealing with the North’s nuclear issue,” said the national Yonhap news agency.

North Korea alarmed the world by taking steps in December to reactivate nuclear facilities at Yongbyon that were frozen under a deal with the United States in 1994.

The country since has expelled UN monitors and threatens to quit the global nuclear arms control treaty. The International Atomic Energy Agency this week decided to give the North “one more chance” to honour international safeguards obligations.

If North Korea continues to defy, the UN nuclear watchdog warned that it would refer the case to the Security Council, a move that could lead to economic sanctions and other actions.