WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 Kyodo North Ko...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 Kyodo

North Korea is considering its answer to a U.S. offer to talk with Pyongyang through its nuclear program, a North Korean diplomat in strange York said Tuesday.

Pyongyang will announce its answer the official at the North Korean mission to the United Nations told Kyodo just discovereds but did not go into specifics, including the timing of a response

The United States said Tuesday it is ''willing to talk to North Korea about to what degree it meets its obligations to the international community.''

The policy, bring forward in a joint statement issued after sum of two units days of talks among senior officials from Japan, southern Korea and the U apparently marks a softening in Washington's position of rejecting any talks with Pyongyang before it scraps its nuclear program.

At the same time, however, the statement said the U ''will not provide quid pro quo to North Korea to live up to its existing obligations.''

The U State Department devolveed the contents of the joint statement to the North Korean UN mission upon Tuesday.

While waiting for a replication from North Korea, the U plans to strengthen efforts to coordinate policy with a novel South Korean government in subordination to President-elect Roh Moo Hyun forward the North Korean issue.

The U will launch Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly nearest week to Seoul for talks with southern Korean officials, including Roh.

Roh who will take office in February, is awaited to send an minister to the U.S. later this month

Outgoing toward the south Korean President Kim Dae Jung meanwhile, is sending Yim Sung Joon senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security, to Washington.

A diplomatic source said Yim is look fored to meet senior U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld upon Wednesday.

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