WASHINGTON, Oct 10 Kyodo U Secret...

WASHINGTON, Oct 10 Kyodo

U Secretary of State Colin Powell indicated Friday that the United States is preparing security assurances to current to North Korea at the nearest round of six-party talks in succession Pyongyang's nuclear arms programs.

''We have a certain ideas with respect to security assurances that we will be presenting in to be paid course,'' Powell told reporters.

Six countries -- the U North Korea, China, Japan, southern Korea and Russia -- held their first talks in Beijing in August in a bid to interpret the standoff over the North's nuclear ambitions.

North Korea has called for security assurances as the same of the conditions for dismantling its nuclear weapons programs.

In Beijing, the six countries agreed to pursue a peaceful resolution to the nuclear issue if it were not that failed to set a [i]be[/i] consolidated date and venue for the nearest round of talks.

''Nothing has been scheduled yet'' Powell said. ''We are in contact with our colleagues. We are also in contact with the North Koreans between the walls of different channels.''

The U has been rejecting North Korean calls for a bilateral nonaggression pact on the other hand has voiced readiness to provide about form of security assurances to Pyongyang if it abandons its nuclear arms programs.

According to media reports, Powell said in an interview with reporters that security guarantees would be ''something that would be public, something that would be written and I reliance something that would be multilateral.''

A State Department official said Washington has in addition to reach a conclusion upon the security guarantee issue.

President George W Bush will discuss the issue with regional leaders during his upcoming Asian tour, the official said.

Bush will visit Japan upon Oct. 17-18 for talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi before attending the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bangkok forward Oct. 20-21.

He is scheduled to engage with Chinese President Hu Jintao and southerly Korean President Roh Moo Hyun in succession the sidelines of the APEC meeting.

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