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A prominent US Democrat senator on Sunday urged the administration of President George W. Bush to engage in direct dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to solve their differences over latter's nuclear programs.
"That does not imply capitulation. It does not imply concessions. It just simply means face to face we are going to discuss the differences," Carl Levin, outgoing chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, said on TV program "Fox News Sunday."
The senator said direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang could avoid "miscalculation."
Levin urged the administration to work closely with South Koreato seek a peaceful solution to the DPRK nuclear issue, saying that the United States should treat South Korea as an equal partner in the process.
Referring to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's recent remarks that the United States could fight two wars simultaneously, the senior senator criticized the administration of using inflammatory rhetoric on the DPRK nuclear issue.
"It's great that we're strong, we're the world's only superpower, but we've got to use that wisely and not use the rhetoric which is so inflammatory," the senator said.
Pyongyang has repeatedly said that it is willing to discuss Washington's security concerns if the United States prepares to sign a mutual nonaggression treaty with the DPRK.
But the Bush administration has rejected such a proposal, saying that it will not resume dialogue with Pyongyang unless the DPRK abandons its alleged nuclear program completely.
(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2002)
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