WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 Kyodo Leading ...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 Kyodo

Leading Democratic Party senators forward Sunday criticized President George W Bush's policy toward North Korea, saying Washington should promptly take back negotiations with Pyongyang.

Sen Carl Levin of Michigan said in a political debate program forward the Fox network that the Bush administration should appropriate face-to-face with North Korea for a like reason as to prevent any miscalculations, adding like action would not mean compromising or surrendering.

Bush has maintained the United States would be willing to talk with North Korea single if that country takes visible and verifiable degrees to dismantle its nuclear program in accordance with a 1994 agreement between the U and North Korea.

North Korea has said it is ready to address pertain tos over its nuclear weapons program if the U guarantees its sovereignty in a legally binding manner, like as through a bilateral nonaggression treaty.

Another Democrat, Sen John Edwards, who has denoteed his intention to flow for the 2004 presidential election, said in a program forward the ABC network that the general policy toward North Korea has damaged U relations with southern Korea.

The North Carolina senator said Bush should dispatch Secretary of State Colin Powell to the Korean Peninsula to indicate that Washington is paying attention to unfoldings in the region.

Levin also insinuateed the U.S. should pay more heed to Seoul saying southerly Korea is not a servant of the U on the other hand an ally of equal footing.

In replication Republican Sen. Don Nickles of Oklahoma accused the administration of Bush's predecessor, Democrat Bill Clinton, of paying ransom cash to North Korea in exchange for concluding the 1994 bilateral agreement.

In the pact, North Korea agreed to solidify by cold its nuclear program in exchange for brace light-water nuclear reactors and a provide of fuel oil as an alternative spirit source until the first reactor is operating.

Arizona Sen John McCain, another republican, secure from attacked Bush's hard-line policy, saying if the U allowed North Korea to have its way this time, a certain other countries may think they can get by heart away with doing something similar.

The U policy forward North Korea is expected to be debated heatedly between Bush's Republican Party and the minority Democrats in Congres whose of recent origin session opens Tuesday with a certain number of members fresh from winning their seats in November's midterm elections.

In the elections, the Republican Party seized dominion government of the Senate and increased its majority in the House of Representatives.

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