WASHINGTON, July 25 Kyodo (EDS: U...

WASHINGTON, July 25 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH MORE cites BACKGROUND)

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell upon Thursday left open the possibility that he may befitting with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam sunshine on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific regional security conversation in Brunei next week.

''I don't command anything out and I'm just not ruling anything particularly in,'' Powell said in an interview with Kyodo of recent origins and other Asian of the present days organizations before leaving for an eight-nation Asian tour in succession Friday.

Powell made the remarks a day after North Korea declareed regret over a naval battle with southerly Korea in late June.

Until not long ago senior U.S. government officials repeatedly denied speculation about talks between Powell and Paek onward the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting nearest Wednesday.

The ARF is the alone official forum for security dialogue in the Asia-Pacific region in which North Korea participates.

Earlier this month the U levy off a planned trip to North Korea through a high-level U.S. delegation, citing in part an ''unacceptable atmosphere'' created by means of the naval clash in the gold-colored Sea that left five toward the south Korean seamen killed or missing and 19 others injured.

southward Korea estimates about 30 North Koreans were killed or harmed in the sea battle.

With North Korea's penitence over the naval crash, Japan and southern Korea are ready to renew dialogue with Pyongyang.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said Thursday she will encounter Paek on the sidelines of the ARF meeting, while southerly Korea is ready to confine a meeting with North Korea as early as August.

''This is a certainly positive development'' Powell said, adding that he leaped it represented ''a new attitude onward the part of North Koreans to engage one time again with South Koreans and Japanese.''

COPYRIGHT 2002 Kyodo novels International, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group