The United States rejected on Monday the idea of holding direct
talks with North Korea and insisted that the two can have talks
within the framework of six-party talks.
"Within the context of the six-party talks, we are absolutely
willing to talk to North Koreans," State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack said at a briefing.
"But the idea that you deal with North Korea in a strictly
bilateral sense is one that's been tried and unfortunately has
failed. And we are now in a position where North Korea, when it
persists in bad behavior in the vein of launching missiles,
conducting a nuclear test, it's not a US- North Korea issue,"
McCormack said.
"This is now an issue where you have the Security Council and
the other five parties of the six-party talks united in putting
pressure on North Korea to get them to change their behavior,"
McCormack said.
The six-party talks, which involve the United States, North
Korea, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan, have been stalled
since September last year when the last round of talks were held in
Beijing.
The United States has urged North Korea to return to the
six-party talks although it has conducted a nuclear test.
(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2006)
