Secretary of state Colin Powell on Tuesday said that President George W. Bush will offer a no-strings-attached dialogue to North Korea on his trip to Asia next week and said the he hoped the North Koreans will take US up on it.
“While Bush has condemned the reclusive Pyongyang government as part of an axis of evil, he hopes for a better life for the North Korean people,” Powell said on Tuesday in previewing the President's trip to China, Japan and South Korea to the senate budget committee. Last June, Bush announced he was willing to resume security talks. However, North Korea has not responded to the gesture.

Powell said that the President will renew the offer in South Korea, a gesture in itself to President Kim Dae-Jung, a longtime proponent of dialogue with the North.

“At the same time, Bush is very much looking forward to visiting South Korea to show that the bond between the US and the South Koreans is as strong as ever, “Powell told the committee.
Bureau Report