North Korea offers return to nuclear talks

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told a visiting Chinese envoy that his government would return to six-party nuclear disarmament talks if the United States showed sincerity and certain conditions were met, the North’s official news agency reported today.

The Korean Central News Agency did not elaborate on the conditions, but the report could indicate that North Korea would be ready to strike a deal with the US on returning to the talks but that it might need further diplomatic coaxing to do that.