A top U.S. envoy called Saturday for patience in getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs, a day after Washington warned of aggressive sanctions unless the North returns to stalled disarmament talks, AP reported. North Korea withdrew from the six-nation talks in April to protest a U.N. statement condemning a rocket launch. North Korea insisted it sent a satellite into orbit, while the U.S. and its allies said it was actually a long-range missile test. Kurt Campbell, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs, said there have to be «consequences» for North Korea's provocations, but also offered to hold talks with the North within the six-nation process if it returns to the negotiating table and takes irreversible steps to disable its nuclear program. «At this juncture, the most important quality that the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia can demonstrate is patience,» he told reporters in Seoul on Saturday after meeting with his South Korean counterpart. Campbell is to meet with South Korea's foreign minister and its top nuclear envoy on Monday.
