Albright and Paek break new ground

In an unprecedented historic meeting, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun on Friday and discussed Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests, nuclear weapons programme and alleged international terrorism, raising expectations for future talks at the United Nations.

But after the meeting, Ms Albright said she was unable to get information about a reported offer by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to stop developing long-range missiles in exchange for US help in launching Pyongyang's satellites.

Ms Albright said she "was not able to glean" any information.

"I made very clear it was necessary to get past the 50 years of hostility, and that we needed to look towards the future," she said. "We've been taking some modest steps, and they need to meet our concerns. And this meeting is, I think, a step in that direction.

"We need to make sure the missile talks continue. We spoke about seeing each other at the (UN) General Assembly. I must say, the foreign minister was very nice. He said he had passed me last year at the General Assembly. We had not spoken to each other."

The meeting between Ms Albright and Mr Paek was the highest-level contact between America and North Korea since the end of the Korean war.

"This was the first bilateral meeting at the ministerial level ever held between our two countries," Ms Albright said. "Its purpose was to enable the foreign minister and I to get acquainted, to reaffirm our interest in more normal ties, and to touch briefly on the core issues we've been discussing at other levels for some time.

"I said we were encouraged by his government's recent efforts to expand diplomatic contact with other nations, and by its moratorium on long-range missile launches.

"And I was direct in stating American concerns about all aspects of the missile threat, nuclear weapons-related activities" and similar issues.

"I also said that the United States fully supports the intensified, inter-Korean dialogue now under way.

"My meeting today with Foreign Minister Paek constitutes a substantively modest, but symbolically historic step away from the sterility and hostility of the past, and towards a more direct and promising approach to resolving differences and establishing common ground."

Ms Albright said Washington would co-ordinate with its allies on changes in US-North Korean relations.

"I am also somewhat more hopeful than before about the prospects for long-term stability on the Korean peninsula and throughout the region."

Her talk with Mr Paek extended nearly one hour beyond their scheduled 20 minutes.

US officials did not expect any major breakthrough, but stressed it was an excellent opportunity for the two sides to end their diplomatic stalemate, examine various issues, and smooth the way for further talks.

Mr Paek did not speak to journalists about his talks with Ms Albright, but it was expected that he reiterated his Stalinist nation's criticism of a planned US missile defence shield.

The Clinton administration has indicated that North Korea's ballistic missiles were one of the main reasons America needed to build an expensive, space-based defence system.

Earlier in the week, Russia and China denounced America's missile shield programme, describing it as the product of a Cold War mentality. They said it could destabilise Asia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that during his recent visit to North Korea, Kim Jong-Il had been willing to halt anti-ballistic missile testing, possibly in exchange for US help in launching satellites into space.

In Bangkok, analysts speculated that America may respond with an offer to place North Korean satellites in space from US launch pads, but not give any of the technology to North Korea.

A senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified, said Ms Albright and Mr Paek also discussed North Korea's demand that it be removed from a US list of terrorist nations.

They "certainly had a discussion of the terrorist list, and of North Korea's desire to be removed", the State Department official said.

Ms Albright told Mr Paek this could occur if North Korea was sincere in "renouncing terrorism", and prove it was no longer involved in the "sponsorship of terrorists", he said.

Friday's talks between Ms Albright and Mr Paek occurred during ministerial meetings of the Asean Regional Forum.

"The UN is the most obvious next step" for future talks between the US and North Korea, the State Department official said.

* Richard S. Ehrlich is a former UPI correspondent who has reported from Asia for the past 22 years.