Friday, June 12, 2009 WASHINGTON: The US envoy on North Korea voiced hope for a diplomatic solution with the communist state and predicted it would eventually return to the table despite an escalating nuclear showdown. Special envoy Stephen Bosworth said the United States was committed to diplomacy even as the UN Security Council moved to expand sanctions on impoverished North Korea over its nuclear test last month. Bosworth told a Senate hearing that the United States was using a variety of tools with North Korea, ranging from sanctions to diplomatic engagement -- "if North Korea shows seriousness of purpose." "The United States and our allies and partners in the region will need to take the necessary steps to assure our security in the face of this growing threat," Bosworth told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he added: "In the interest of all concerned, we very much hope that North Korea will choose the path of diplomacy rather than confrontation," he said. Bosworth said he was hopeful for a resumption of the six-party talks, which involved China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States. "There is no evidence they are prepared to do that now but I believe they will eventually come back to the table," Bosworth said.
Friday, June 12, 2009 WASHINGTON: The US envoy on North Korea voiced hope for a diplomatic solution with the communist state and predicted it would eventually return to the table despite an escalating nuclear showdown. Special envoy Stephen Bosworth said the United States was committed to diplomacy even as the UN Security Council moved to expand sanctions on impoverished North Korea over its nuclear test last month. Bosworth told a Senate hearing that the United States was using a variety of tools with North Korea, ranging from sanctions to diplomatic engagement -- "if North Korea shows seriousness of purpose." "The United States and our allies and partners in the region will need to take the necessary steps to assure our security in the face of this growing threat," Bosworth told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But he added: "In the interest of all concerned, we very much hope that North Korea will choose the path of diplomacy rather than confrontation," he said. Bosworth said he was hopeful for a resumption of the six-party talks, which involved China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States. "There is no evidence they are prepared to do that now but I believe they will eventually come back to the table," Bosworth said.
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