Moves to kickstart US-North Korea ties are moving in the right direction, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Tuesday before new talks with "Great Leader" Kim Jong-Il.
"Our talks this week are yet another sign that the desire to make peace is mutual," Albright said in a toast at a luncheon hosted by North Korean number two, Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok.
"We have far to go but I am convinced we are moving in the right direction," she said as she prepared to meet the reclusive Kim Jong-Il for a second round of talks expected around 2:45 PM (0545 GMT), US officials said.
Albright was later due to hold a news conference at the Pyongyang hotel where some 60 foreign journalists covering her unprecedented trip are staying.
Albright arrived Monday on a two-day visit to gauge whether the Communist leadership here is serious in its moves to end five decades of self-imposed isolation and open up to the outside world.
But Albright stressed Tuesday that in order for progress to continue, North Korea must address Washington's deep concerns over its nuclear and missile programs, implying that a much-desired visit here by President Bill Clinton and normalizing relations were dependent upon it.
"These goals will benefit all Koreans and all Americans," she said, referring also to the possibility of a peace treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean conflict that concluded only with an armistice.
"To achieve them we must each meet our responsibilities to fulfill commitments and eliminate threats," Albright said.
"We must move in steady strides away from the bitterness of the past and persist in the search for common ground," she said – PYONGYANG (AFP)
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