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Politics : Stop the War! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Brumar89 who wrote (13149)	4/13/2003 11:45:25 PM
From: Brumar89	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21614

Last two 'axis of evil' nations back down N. KOREA: Pyongyang leans towards US call for multilateral talks on nuclear plans IRAN: Hardline ex-president offers for the first time to help restore ties with US WASHINGTON - North Korea and Iran - which are the two remaining members of Washington's 'axis of evil' after the overthrow of the Iraqi regime - are relooking their international positions. North Korea has shifted significantly towards US calls for multilateral talks on its suspected nuclear arms plans and Washington has voiced interest, saying it would follow up through diplomatic channels. And former Iranian president Hashemi Rafsanjani has offered to help restore ties with the United States, throwing his weight behind the idea of a referendum for the first time as hardliners in the country nervously watch US-led forces take control of neighbouring Iraq. North Korea's comments on Saturday could mark a breakthrough in the nuclear standoff just days after US-led forces removed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power in a war that the South Korean President said had 'petrified' the North. 'If the US is ready to make a bold switch-over in its Korea policy for a settlement of the nuclear issue, the DPRK will not stick to any particular dialogue format,' the North's KCNA news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying. Until now, North Korea - its official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) - has insisted on bilateral talks. Washington wants to include regional players South Korea, Japan, Russia and China in talks. 'We noted the statement with interest,' US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said on Saturday, adding: 'We expect to follow up through appropriate diplomatic channels.' The US and North Korea do not have formal diplomatic relations, but exchange messages through diplomatic channels in New York. The US can also work through intermediaries such as Russia and China. The North's spokesman did not specify what would constitute a 'bold switch-over' but the impoverished, energy-starved North had demanded security guarantees and aid in the past. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun reiterated yesterday that he would make every effort to resolve North Korea's nuclear crisis in a peaceful manner. Mr Kim Jung-roh, deputy spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry, said by telephone that Seoul had expected North Korea to shift its position gradually. In Teheran, Mr Rafsanjani was quoted by the official Islamic Republic News Agency as saying that the question of restoring ties with the US could be resolved through a referendum or by sending the question to the powerful advisory body he heads. Either way, the final decision would have to be confirmed by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, he said. But the mention of a referendum represents a marked shift by Mr Rafsanjani, who has openly sided with hardliners since stepping down as president in 1997. Mr Khamenei has repeatedly rejected as 'treason and stupidity' any talk about restoring ties with Washington, which have been cut since militants stormed the US Embassy in Teheran in 1979. Mr Rafsanjani, who heads the powerful Expediency Council which advises Mr Khamenei on state matters, has recently started advocating flexibility. His suggestion comes amid heated debates in Iranian political circles on the possible threat to Iran from the US-led coalition's victory in Iraq. -- Reuters, AP straitstimes.asia1.com.sg