SANTA FE — New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said Wednesday that his meeting with North Korean diplomats offered a “hopeful sign” of improving relations with the reclusive nation, which reiterated its desire for direct talks with the United States.
The Democratic governor said he had “productive talks” with a pair of representatives from the North Korean mission to the United Nations.
“The delegation indicated that North Korea is ready for a new dialogue with the United States regarding the nuclear issue,” Richardson said. “The question is whether to proceed with face-to-face bilateral talks, as the North Koreans prefer, or to utilize the six-party framework that the United States has advocated. The North Koreans clearly want bilateral talks and not the six-party framework.”
He said “temperatures have really cooled down” since former President Bill Clinton went to North Korea earlier this month and brought back two American journalists who had been imprisoned.
This was the third time Richardson has met with North Korean diplomats in Santa Fe since taking office as governor in 2003. Richardson was ambassador to the United Nations in the Clinton administration and for years has served as a roving diplomatic troubleshooter. The Associated Press
