CAIRO (IslamOnline) - The United States and North Korea have agreed to hold talks on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of imposing limits on the communist state's long-range missile development program, news agencies reported Tuesday.
A U.S. official said the long-awaited talks, which may pave the way for better ties between the old foes, would take place in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur from November 1-3. The talks will help determine whether U.S. President Bill Clinton will go there later this year.
Robert Einhorn, the Assistant Secretary of State for weapons non-proliferation, will lead the U.S. side at the Kuala Lumpur talks.
The U.S. and its Western allies have been concerned that the North Korean missile program could pose a threat to their own national security, and to many of Washington's friends in Asia.
Besides North Korea's missile development for its own use, Washington's other concern is its sale of missiles to other countries hostile to the United States and its main ally in the Middle East, Israel. Countries of concern that North Korea exports missile technology to include Iran, Syria and Pakistan.
The new announcement of talks follows a high-profile visit by U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright last week. The two sides agreed that the U.S. would be willing to give Pyongyang financial aid if it agreed to halt its missile development programs.
During Albright's visit, North Korean President Kim Jong Il assured her that his country would not launch another long region missile.
In an interview with the U.S. television channel ABC on Monday, Albright said that her discussion with President Jong concerning limiting North Korean missiles was pivotal to U.S. foreign policy.
The U.S. and its allies in Asia, including Japan, have shown increasing concern after North Korea tested a missile over Japan in 1998. Japan later showed willingness to hold talks with North Korea. Recent talks between the two sides, however, have so far ended in failure.
The two-day talks between Tokyo and Pyongyang ended Tuesday with no concrete results on normalizing relations.
