SEOUL, Sept 12 (Reuters) - South Korea said on Saturday it would support direct talks between the United States and North Korea so long as they were aimed at advancing multilateral negotiations on ending Pyongyang's nuclear programmes.
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| North Korean youth and students dance at the square of the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang to celebrate the 61st anniversary of the founding of the communist state on September 9, 2009. AFP |
The U.S. State Department had said on Friday it was prepared to hold such talks to try to coax North Korea back to the six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia.
Previously, U.S. officials had sent mixed signals about direct meetings, at times saying Pyongyang must first commit to resume the multilateral discussions and at others saying bilateral talks could only occur “in the context” of the multilateral discussions.
“We are prepared to enter into a bilateral discussion with North Korea,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters on Friday.
The department denied changing its policy, saying any bilateral meeting would be to bring Pyongyang back to multilateral talks. |
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