U.S.-N.K. direct talks expected in late October at earliest: source

(ATTN: UPDATES with N. Korea's reported invitation to Sen. Kerry in last five paras)
SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- The U.S.-North Korea bilateral talks, aimed at
bringing the communist country back to the multilateral nuclear negotiations,
could be held as early as late October, a senior diplomatic source said
Wednesday, adding the two countries were negotiating the time frame.
The source said Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special representative on North Korea
policy, will most likely visit Pyongyang, accepting the invitation from the
North. The U.S. is expecting Bosworth to talk with the North's Vice Foreign
Minister Kang Sok-ju, he said.
The U.S. announced last week that it will soon undertake bilateral negotiations
with North Korea to persuade it to return to the suspended six-party talks which
Pyongyang boycotted, claiming the forum was being used to infringe upon its
sovereign right to develop nuclear and space technology.
Pyongyang had demanded one-on-one dealings with Washington in seeking a
breakthrough, while Washington insisted on sticking to the six-party process that
also involves South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.
"We expect the talks to happen between late October and early November," the
source said, requesting to be unnamed.
The source said he was aware that the two countries were communicating through
diplomatic channels in New York to hammer out the details and the formalities of
the pending meeting.
Not having normalized relations, Washington and Pyongyang commonly use their
missions to the United Nations as a contact point.
"The U.S. is currently conducting an internal review on ways to bring back the
North to the six-party talks without losing face while avoiding direct nuclear
negotiations," the source said.
In a separate conciliatory gesture by North Korea, Pyongyang has reportedly sent
an invitation to John Kerry, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, according to diplomatic sources in Washington.
The invitation to Sen. Kerry was extended around the time former U.S. President
Bill Clinton flew to Pyongyang in August to negotiate the release of two U.S.
journalists from their months-long captivity, said the sources.
Kerry was once mentioned as one of the strongest candidates for secretary of
state under the Obama administration.
Kerry's office, contacted by Yonhap News, confirmed the acceptance of an
invitation from North Korea, saying the senator intends to visit Pyongyang at an
appropriate time, but has yet to set a concrete schedule.
In this regard, Washington sources speculated that Kerry is likely to carry out
his North Korea visit by the end of the year, after the ongoing dispute over U.S.
heath insurance reform is concluded.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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