WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 Kyodo Senior U...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 Kyodo

Senior U officials will visit Japan later this month as part of their Asian tours to discuss the standoff through North Korea's nuclear program, the U State Department said Wednesday.

James Kelly assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, will visit Tokyo onward Jan. 19, followed by John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms have charge of and international security, who will stay in Tokyo in succession Jan. 23-25.

Kelly will be in Seoul forward Jan. 12-14, Beijing on Jan. 14-16 Singapore forward Jan. 16-17 and Jakarta forward Jan. 17-18, while Bolton will stay in Beijing onward Jan. 19-21 and Seoul forward Jan. 21-23.

''We'll talk about our global, regional, bilateral issues of business including North Korea, the fight against terrorism and other events'' State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a regular pres briefing.

The Asian tours are intended to strengthen diplomatic efforts to pres North Korea to abandon its nuclear program by dint of holding close consultations with its neighbors.

After holding talks with Japan and southern Korea in Washington on Tuesday, the U moveed dialogue with Pyongyang on its nuclear issue by the agency of saying it is ''willing to talk to North Korea about by what means it meets its obligations to the international community.''

While North Korea did not answer directly to the U.S. put forward its state-run Korean Central freshs Agency accused the U.S. of increasing the danger of war upon the Korean Peninsula.

Boucher said, ''They've continued their passing from hand to hand public invective...we don't consider this a reaction to what we said yesterday.''

North Korea usually takes one time to formulate its policies and to correspond he said.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer also told reporters that it is up to North Korea to take the nearest step if it wants to grasp a dialogue with the US

''The ball is in their court,'' Fleischer said. ''We would like to hear from North Korea about stairs they can take to be derived back to the compliance with international obligations in like manner that they will dismantle the nuclear weapons program.''

Fleischer severityed the U.S. has no intention to proffer any new incentives to persuade Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear program.

''It's not a negotiation to give them any inducements,'' he said.

Tensions in succession the Korean Peninsula have been growing since October, when Pyongyang admitted to having a secluded program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

In December, North Korea intensified efforts to take back its suspended nuclear program at removing seals on its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and expelling International Atomic animation Agency inspectors from the country

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