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| North Korea proposes high-level talks with US | North Korea proposes high-level talks with US |
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| North Korea has proposed high-level talks with the US, state media report. | North Korea has proposed high-level talks with the US, state media report. |
| The National Defence Commission offered "serious discussions" to "secure peace and stability in the region and ease tension on the Korean peninsula", in a statement carried by KCNA news agency. | The National Defence Commission offered "serious discussions" to "secure peace and stability in the region and ease tension on the Korean peninsula", in a statement carried by KCNA news agency. |
| Washington could decide the time and venue, but there should be no preconditions, the statement added. | Washington could decide the time and venue, but there should be no preconditions, the statement added. |
| On Thursday, the North cancelled talks with the South that it had proposed, blaming "arrogant obstructions". | |
| The South's "deliberate disturbance" by changing the head of its delegation from the unification minister to a vice-minister had made the meeting "abortive", it said. Seoul said it was disappointed. | |
| Earlier this year, Pyongyang threatened the South and US with nuclear and missile strikes. | Earlier this year, Pyongyang threatened the South and US with nuclear and missile strikes. |
| The regime issued a string of strongly-worded statements after the UN imposed sanctions in response to a long-range rocket test in December and a nuclear test in February. | |
| It also cut hotlines used for emergency communication with the South, and withdrew workers from a joint industrial park. | It also cut hotlines used for emergency communication with the South, and withdrew workers from a joint industrial park. |
| On Friday, Pyongyang issued an appeal on the anniversary of the 2000 South-North Joint Declaration, calling on the South to change fundamentally its "policy of confrontation". | |
| The National Defence Commission issued on Sunday said that in the meantime it proposed "high-level talks between the North and the US to secure peace and stability in the region and ease tension on the Korean peninsula". | |
| Pyongyang was willing to have "serious discussions on a wide range of issues, including the US goal to achieve the world free of nuclear arsenal", it added. | |
| The National Defence Commission is headed by North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, who succeeded his father in December 2011. | |
| Correspondents say the North has often sought to mix threats, and promises of co-operation in its dealings with the international community. |