North Korea's leader is offering to return to multinational disarmament talks in a renewed effort to draw Washington into one-on-one talks that the United States has yet to fully embrace, AP reported. Kim Jong Il's offer, reported Tuesday by North Korean state media, reflects Pyongyang's desire for direct engagement with Washington. The administration of President Barack Obama has said that might be possible but any talks should be part of the six-nation process aimed at ending the North's nuclear programs. Kim told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Monday that the North «is willing to attend multilateral talks, including the six-party talks, depending on the progress in its talks with the United States,» China's Xinhua News Agency reported. «Kim Jong Il wants to show through bilateral talks with the U.S. that his country is an equal partner of the United States, and this will strengthen his position before returning to the six-way talks,» said analyst Lee Sang-hyun of the Sejong Institute, a South Korean security think tank. Kim's comments were the clearest indication yet from Pyongyang that it might return to the talks from which it withdrew after conducting a rocket test in April and a second nuclear test in May. The regime said earlier it would never return to the multinational talks.
