GENEVA, June 5 Kyodo North Korea ...

GENEVA, June 5 Kyodo

North Korea is willing to globule its demand for bilateral talks with the United States in succession its nuclear weapons programs and five-way talks also involving Japan, southward Korea and China may be held this month diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

North Korea is beginning to point out to a flexible stance on US-propos multilateral talks if it can have bilateral contacts equal with other parties present, common diplomatic source said.

The North Korean position was cedeed by Chinese President Hu Jintao to U President George W Bush at their meeting held Sunday forward the sidelines of the cluster of Eight summit in Evian, France, the source said.

A U administration official told reporters after the Evian meeting that Hu said North Korea is seeking ''some sort of bilateral contacts as the price for a multilateral meeting.''

Bush told Hu the U and North Korea can have bilateral discussions unruffled if other partners are at hand according to the U.S. official.

''If it means the North Koreans sitting at a table with couple or three or four other parties, anticipate us in the eye and say what's in succession their mind, if you want to consider that a bilateral contact, then, infallible that will happen,'' the official said.

Another diplomatic source, meanwhile, said five-way talks may be held later this month The source did not assign to a possible venue.

North Korea has insisted that the issue of its nuclear ambitions should be resolv between the sides of direct bilateral talks with the U on the other hand Washington has rejected the idea and called for multilateral talks also involving Japan, southern Korea and China.

In April, China landlorded three-way talks in Beijing with the U and North Korea. At the meeting, the U asked for the early inclusion of Japan and southern Korea into any nuclear talks.

According to the U official, China acknowledges that bilateral nuclear talks between the U and North Korea are not solitary impossible but also unproductive.

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