Obama to send US envoy to N Korea

Last Updated: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:35:00 +1100

United States President Barack Obama says he is sending a special envoy for direct talks with North Korea, to try to convince the communist nation to return to stalled negotiations over its nuclear program.

Mr Obama made the announcement at a joint news conference in Seoul with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.

"President Lee and I are in full agreement on our common approach going forward," Mr Obama said.

"I reaffirmed my commitment to continue working together in the six-party process to achieve a definitive and comprehensive resolution of the nuclear issue."

The two presidents have been putting pressure on North Korea by telling Pyongyang it will raise its global standing if it scraps its nuclear arms program.

Direct talks

Mr Obama says he will send Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, the US special representative to North Korea for talks on December 8.

North Korea quit the six-party talks in April, a month before staging a second atomic weapons test.

Mr Obama criticised what he called the North's pattern of behaving provocatively for awhile, then returning to talks but walking out when it failed to secure further concessions.

"The door is open to resolving these issues peacefully, for North Korea to see over time the reduction of sanctions and its increasing integration into the international community," he said.

"But it will only happen if North Korea is taking serious steps around the nuclear issue."

Mr Obama and Mr Lee met in South Korea on on the final leg of the US President's first official visit to Asia.

Mr Obama previously stopped in Singapore, Japan and China.

Welcome move

Meanwhile, China has welcomed the announcement.

Foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang says Beijing supports and welcomes bilateral dialogue between the United States and North Korea.

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