The Hindu : N. Korea softens stance on talks

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 26, 2003

International

International

N. Korea softens stance on talks

TOKYO May 25. North Korea said today it would agree to U.S. demands to hold multilateral talks over its nuclear programme that included South Korea and Japan but only if Pyongyang and Washington held bilateral talks first.

Quoting a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement issued in Beijing, Japan's Kyodo news agency said the North criticised the U.S. for keeping silent about a ``new and bold proposal'' made by Pyongyang in three-way talks with China last month on the North Korean nuclear stand-off.

``The U.S. has not yet said any word about the DPRK's (North Korea) proposal for the settlement of the nuclear issue but is talking about the format of talks, calling for the `five-party talks''', said the statement issued by North Korea.

``As there are issues to be settled between the DPRK and the U.S., the two sides are required to sit face to face for a candid discussion on each other's policies. Only then is it possible to have multilateral talks and make them fruitful,'' said the statement.

``It is the DPRK's stand that the DPRK-U.S. talks should be held first and they may be followed by the U.S.-proposed multilateral talks,'' the statement said.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo welcomed the North Korean statement, Kyodo reported. — Reuters

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