This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8251950.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
US ready for N Korea direct talks | US ready for N Korea direct talks |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The US says it would hold direct talks with North Korea to persuade it to return to stalled multilateral talks on ending its nuclear programme. | The US says it would hold direct talks with North Korea to persuade it to return to stalled multilateral talks on ending its nuclear programme. |
A spokesman for the US state department said that there had been no decision on when such talks might take place. | A spokesman for the US state department said that there had been no decision on when such talks might take place. |
Philip Crowley insisted the move was not a policy shift and talks would take place within "the six-party process". | Philip Crowley insisted the move was not a policy shift and talks would take place within "the six-party process". |
North Korea pulled out of multilateral talks in April after international criticism following a rocket launch. | North Korea pulled out of multilateral talks in April after international criticism following a rocket launch. |
"It's a bi-lateral discussion that (is) hopefully...within the six-party context, and it's designed to convince North Korea to come back to the six-party process and to take affirmative steps towards de-nuclearisation," Mr Crowley said from Washington. | "It's a bi-lateral discussion that (is) hopefully...within the six-party context, and it's designed to convince North Korea to come back to the six-party process and to take affirmative steps towards de-nuclearisation," Mr Crowley said from Washington. |
US spokesman denied it was a policy shift | |
He denied that accepting North Korea's offer of bi-lateral talks was a policy shift but called it a "short-term" measure to try and bring the reclusive state back to talks. | |
The BBC's John Sudworth, in South Korean capital, Seoul, says the decision does appear to be a tactical shift - suggesting that the US is now prepared to meet directly with the North before getting the commitment it had sought to the broader multilateral process. | |
Earlier this week, the US special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, met in Asia with officials from Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo to discuss the talks. | |
Military threat | |
A senior state department official, speaking anonymously, told reporters that it would probably be Mr Bosworth who would meet with the North Koreans, according to Agence France Presse. | |
NUCLEAR CRISIS Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear testFeb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aidJune 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactorJune 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assetsOct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorismDec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after a US decision to suspend energy aidJan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all military and political deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test N Korea a problem for Obama Timeline: North Korea | |
He said it was unlikely the meeting would take place before the United Nations General Assembly meeting due to be held towards the end of the month in New York. | |
According to Reuters, the US has drafted a UN Security Council resolution calling on all countries with atomic weapons to get rid of them. | |
Diplomats suggest that the text could also refer to North Korea, which withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003, subsequently testing two nuclear devices. | |
The text, Washington hopes, could be carried during a special council session led by US President Barack Obama. In September, the US is holding the rotating presidency of the Security Council. | |
In September 2005, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programmes in exchange for aid in a deal decided between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US, beginning a process known as the six-party talks. | In September 2005, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programmes in exchange for aid in a deal decided between the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the US, beginning a process known as the six-party talks. |
But since then, the talks have stalled over the failure of Pyongyang to verify the shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear plant. | |
In May this year, the North said it had staged a second "successful" underground nuclear test, saying it was more powerful than a test carried out in October 2006. | |
The North says that it remains under military threat from its historic rival, South Korea, and South Korea's allies, primarily the US. | The North says that it remains under military threat from its historic rival, South Korea, and South Korea's allies, primarily the US. |