US Says It Will Talk to DPRK

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 08, 2003

US Says It Will Talk to DPRK

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Washington shifted course on Tuesday and said it was willing to talk to DPRK about its atomic program, as the UN nuclear watchdog said Pyongyang had "only a matter of weeks" to readmit inspectors expelled last week.

The United States, which previously insisted DPRK roll back recent steps to revive its nuclear programs before any talks, announced its new position after holding talks at the State Department with South Korea and Japan.

"The United States is willing to talk to North Korea about how it will meet its obligations to the international community," the three countries said in a joint statement.

"However, the US delegation stressed that the United States will not provide quid pro quos to North Korea to live up to its existing obligations," the statement added.

President Bush had hinted at the US change in position on Monday, saying, "We'll have dialogue," without setting any preconditions.

His aides said later DPRK must first dismantle its nuclear weapon programs, a precondition they acknowledged they dropped on Tuesday. "This is a step forward from what we have been saying and doing," one senior US official said.

Source: Agencies

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