Seoul, August 10: Following former US president Bill Clinton’s visit to North Korea, US officials hint they are willing to hold direct talks with Pyongyang over its nuclear program.
White House National Security Adviser James Jones said on Sunday that North’s leaders had sought one-on-one talks with the United States.
“So the path is clear, and President Clinton is a very convincing gentleman and I hope he was able to convince them,” Jones was quoted by AP as saying.
Clinton traveled to Pyongyang on an unannounced visit to negotiate the release of two jailed American journalists.
The former president had reportedly discussed a broad range of issues in a three-hour encounter with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
Jones said, “Kim appeared to be in control of his government and sounded very reasoned,” adding that “He seemed in control of his faculties.”
North Korean media reported that Clinton had delivered a verbal message from Obama to Kim in the meeting, a claim denied by the White house.
The US and North Korea are involved in a heated dispute over the communist regime’s nuclear weapons program.
In 2008, Pyongyang quit five years of on-and-off talks over its nuclear program.
Tensions between North Korea and the US have been on the rise following Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests in May.
——Agencies