Let’s talk

Pyongyang

Let’s talkUnder pressure from China, North Korea agreed this week to return to multilateral negotiations on its nuclear programs. Last year, North Korea walked out of the six-nation talks, which began in 2003, to protest U.S. financial sanctions. Since then, the Kim Jong Il regime said it would talk only with the United States. But even after North Korea tested two missiles this summer and a nuclear bomb last month, the U.S. insisted that any talks must include Russia and China, North Korea’s two main trade partners, as well as South Korea and Japan. The breakthrough came after a seven-hour meeting in Beijing between American, Chinese, and North Korean diplomats. “I am pleased,” said President Bush, “and I want to thank the Chinese.”

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