Bush "optimistic" about talks with North Korea

WASHINGTON (AFP) Aug 01, 2003
US President George W. Bush Friday said he was "optimistic" about proposed multilateral talks with North Korea, saying Pyongyang's agreement to hold the meetings was a "positive development."

Earlier, the White House said that the Stalinist state had accepted the multilateral approach for talks that the United States had long sought.

Pyongyang had been considering a US proposal for six-way talks including itself and the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia.

North Korea said earlier it had proposed the six-way format to end the nuclear crisis after receiving assurances from Washington that the one-on-one talks that it would prfer with the United States would also take place.

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