U.S. President George W. Bush held out the prospect of normal
diplomatic ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea
(DPRK) in a letter to DPRK leader Kim Jong Il, U.S. National
Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Friday.
Bush, in the letter dated Dec. 1, held out the above-mentioned
prospect but meanwhile stressed that is the "ultimate goal,"
Johndroe said, adding that the United States is still pursuing the
principle of "actions for actions" in the process of solving the
nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsular.
In his first-ever personal letter to Kim Jong Il, Bush urged
Pyongyang to fully disclose its nuclear activities.
The U.S. president also wrote to the other four parties of the
six-party talks which include China, Russia, Japan and South
Korea.
"In these letters, the president reiterated our commitment to
the six-party talks and stressed the need for North Korea to come
forward with a full and complete declaration of their nuclear
programs, as called for in the September 2005 six-party agreement,"
Johndroe said Thursday.
According to a six-party talks joint document released in
Beijing on Oct. 3, the DPRK agreed to disable all the existing
nuclear facilities and provide a complete and correct declaration
of all its nuclear programs by the end of this year.
(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)
