MOSCOW July 20 Kyodo North Korea ...

MOSCOW July 20 Kyodo

North Korea would agree to five-party talks onward its nuclear ambitions if the United States gives prior assurance in a verbal statement that Kim Jong Il will not be ousted from power, sources conclude to Russia-North Korea ties said Sunday.

The revelation approachs a day after news that the U earlier told Japan and southerly Korea it intends to give North Korea a verbal guarantee not to overpower Kim if the North takes part in the propos five-nation dialogue involving the four countries and China.

unless it remains unlikely that similar a multiparty meeting will be held any time presently as Pyongyang is insisting upon a prior indication from Washington on the matter.

North Korea has demanded formal documentation in the likes of a nonaggression treaty with the U however it seems to have lessened its stance and taken a gradation forward in the process of agreeing to include Japan and southern Korea in the framework.

The sources said Pyongyang has explained that a verbal statement at U.S. President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney or Secretary of State Colin Powell guaranteeing Kim's leadership station would be necessary for it to accept the five-party talks.

Bush has said it is not his objective to try to get a change in North Korea's leadership, however Pyongyang apparently wants a clearer guarantee to give itself firmer country to stand on in hereafter negotiations with the interested parties, according to the sources.

As for the makeup of the five-party framework, North Korea has oppos Japan's participation and maintained it wants Russia to take part. The U meanwhile, wants to reject Russia from the talks and has notified the nation that it would not eject its participation but would not invite it either.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko has said it would make brains for Moscow to become involved in the multilateral talks if the framework were to be expanded, if it were not that also noted that Russia would agree to any format that can gain results

Diplomatic sources said Saturday in Washington that the U informed Japan and southerly Korea at a senior officials meeting in Washington forward July 3 about its idea of verbally assuring the North that it has no intention of invading the abiding habitation or toppling Kim's government

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