North Korea said to seek normal relations with US
(AP)
Updated: 2005-07-28 10:54

North Korea took a tough stand Wednesday during talks with the United States, reportedly insisting Washington normalize relations and remove all atomic threats before it would give up nuclear weapons, reported Associated Press.

For its part, the United States stood by an aid-for-disarmament offer the North rejects as unfair.

South Korea's envoy characterized it as a "useful talk, where it became clear what (the sides) had in common and what (the) differences were."

"It remains to be seen over time whether prospects are bright or not," Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon told reporters.

But the stances suggested negotiators could have difficult work ahead despite vows to make progress in talks that resumed Tuesday after a 13-month gap.

North Korea said the United States must abandon plans to topple its government and instead establish mechanisms for peaceful coexistence, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said, citing a source close to the meetings in the Chinese capital.

The comments were reportedly made by the head of the North Korean delegation, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, at the start of the second day of talks on the North's nuclear program.

On Thursday, Kim and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill held their third one-on-one meeting ahead of a planned session including all the heads of delegations at the six-nation talks, the U.S. Embassy said. No details of the meeting were immediately available.

The increased contacts between the Americans and North Koreans are a change from the previous three rounds of nuclear talks, where Washington had mostly shunned direct contact with Pyongyang.

Also Thursday, China's Foreign Ministry plans to host a lunch for envoys from all six governments in an apparent effort to maintain a cordial tone after earlier rounds of talks in which the atmosphere was often strained.

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