North Korea praises Bush for using 'Mr'

North Korea today gave a rare positive appraisal of US President George Bush, welcoming his use of the title “Mr” when referring to leader Kim Jong Il and saying it hoped the softened tone could lead to its return to international nuclear arms talks.

“If Bush’s remarks put an end to the scramble between the hawkish group and the moderate group in the US, which has thrown the Korean policy into a state of confusion, it would help create an atmosphere of the six-party talks,” an unnamed North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.