party format includes -- in addition to North Korea -- the United States, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia. The United States and its allies offered economic incentives to North Korea at the last round in June 2004. Bush was asked if the United States was willing to offer any inducements to get North Korea to return to the talks. He pointed to the plan offered last June, in what might have been an implicit rejection of Roh's idea of offering the North a major new proposal if it returns to talks. "The plan is still there and it's full of inducements," he said. In a nod to the importance of nuance, Bush referred to the North Korean leader as "Mr. Kim Jong-il," repeating a show of respect for Kim that had drawn praise from North Korea when he had said it once before. --More 0009 Local Time 2109 GMT
