North Korea softens stance on multilateral nuclear talks

10.30am

TOKYO - North Korea said today it would agree to US demands to hold multilateral talks over its nuclear programme that included South Korea and Japan but only if Pyongyang and Washington held bilateral talks first.

Quoting a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement, Japan's Kyodo news agency said the North criticised the United States for keeping silent about a "new and bold proposal" made by Pyongyang in three-way talks with China last month on the North Korean nuclear standoff.

"The US has not yet said any word about the DPRK's proposal for the settlement of the nuclear issue but is talking about the format of talks, calling for the 'five-party talks'," said the statement issued by North Korea.

The DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

"As there are issues to be settled between the DPRK and the US, the two sides are required to sit face to face for a candid discussion on each other's policies. Only then is it possible to have multilateral talks and make them fruitful," said the statement.

"It is the DPRK's stand that the DPRK-US talks should be held first and they may be followed by the US-proposed multilateral talks," the statement said.

A Japanese Foreign Ministry official in Tokyo welcomed the North Korean statement saying it reflected Pyongyang's stance of seeking continued dialogue with countries concerned about the nuclear issue, Kyodo reported.

China, North Korea and the United States began three-way talks in Beijing in April to try to resolve the confrontation over North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

Tokyo and Seoul, which had hoped to participate in the talks, were left out because of Pyongyang's opposition.

Earlier this week US President George W Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi warned North Korea it would face "tougher measures" if it escalated the nuclear weapons crisis.

The two leaders, who met at Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, said they believed a peaceful solution was possible and Bush suggested the North Korea could receive "help" if it gave up its nuclear ambitions.

- REUTERS