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Russian Ambassador: N. Korea Backs Nuclear Talks
MOSCOW (AP) - North Koreaâs ambassador to Russia said Thursday his country supported multilateral talks to ease tensions surrounding Pyongyangâs nuclear program, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "Heel, boy! Heel I say!" North Korea has previously said it would be willing to participate in multilateral talks on the condition that it first has bilateral talks with the United States. Washington has insisted on talks involving a number of countries, including South Korea and Japan. The ministry, in a statement, said that Pyongyang is ``making active effortsââ toward multilateral talks, suggesting no agreement on holding talks had been made yet. In the past, North Korea has rarely announced major policy shifts through low-ranking officials such as ambassadors. "Especially running-dog Russian ones!" The Russian Foreign Ministry statement said Ambassador Pak Ui Chun, during a meeting with Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov, said his The Foreign Ministry expressed ``satisfaction at this constructive decision Earlier Friday, U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton said in Tokyo that North Korea had not agreed to a U.S. proposal for multilateral talks, which would include Japan, China, South Korea and Russia. Russia, which has been on the sidelines in the nuclear standoff between the United States and North Korea, is eager to play a high-profile role on the Korean peninsula, a economically important region. Curb your dog, Vlad! Posted by: Steve White 2003-07-31 |
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