MOSCOW. Jan 20 (Interfax-AVN) - The U.S. is prepared to begin a dialogue with North Korea if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear program, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow told Interfax on Monday.
The ambassador said he discussed ways of resolving the North Korea issue with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov earlier in the day. He said Mamedov had briefed him on preliminary results of the visit of Russian presidential envoy and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov to Pyongyang.
Vershbow also said the North Korea issue will be addressed in more detail by Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in New York on Monday.
When asked what Washington expects from Losyukov's trip to Pyongyang, Vershbow said the U.S. administration hopes Russia will be able to convince Kim Chong Il to come back into compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and allow IAEA inspectors to return to North Korea. Vershbow said the main issue that interests the U.S. about Losyukov's visit is whether Kim Chong Il is ready to give up his nuclear program.