DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. / NORTH KOREA: THE UNITED STATES MAKES CONCESSIONS TO THE TIN POT DICTATOR

In North Korea talks, U.S. made 'concessions'


SEOUL: North Korea has shown a new willingness to take steps toward dismantling its nuclear program after the United States offered concessions during bilateral talks last week, South Korean officials said Wednesday.

"South Korea and the United States have presented a proactive proposal aimed at implementing the Sept. 19 agreement, and North Korea is showing flexibility on this," Foreign Minister Song Min Soon of South Korea said at a media briefing, referring to the September 2005 pact in which Pyongyang pledged to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

Song declined to give more details of the proposal, saying negotiations were still under way.

But another South Korean official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the issue's sensitivity, said that the minister was referring to an offer that the United States had made during three days of one-on-one negotiations with North Korea in Berlin last week.

The official said that the U.S. proposal included "various exceptional concessions," but declined to specify them.

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The Berlin talks were between Christopher Hill, the U.S. assistant secretary of state, and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan of North Korea. After the talks, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said that it had reached an unspecified agreement, but did not elaborate.

Kim said Tuesday in Beijing that the U.S. position had changed in a "positive" direction, suggesting that Washington may have backed down from its earlier position that the financial dispute was a law enforcement matter unconnected to the nuclear issue.

Kim also said the North's position could change as well.

North Korea tested its first nuclear bomb in October, adding urgency to the six-nation talks that have been held since 2003 without concrete progress toward disarming the communist dictatorship.

No date has been set for the next round of negotiations, but officials said that they could be expected before mid- February.

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Does the phrase "paper tiger" ring a bell?!?

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1) In North Korea talks, U.S. made 'concessions'