The US Secretary of State Colin Powell met informally with North Korea's foreign minister today in the first high-level contact between the two countries since President Bush labeled the communist nation part of an "axis of evil."
US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell told Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun that in any future discussions, the United States would want to "emphasise a variety of matters, including proliferation and mutual commitments made" under a 1994 agreement designed to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
As for the possibility of follow-up meetings, the United States would consider recent statements North Korea has made, Boucher said.
A senior official said the meeting occurred in a delegates lounge at the meeting site. Powell had sent word to the North Koreans that he was in the lounge and was available for a conversation.
The United States and North Korea are looking to restore high-level contacts for the first time since late in the Clinton administration. While there have been contacts between the two countries during the Bush administration, there have been no substantive discussions of North Korea's missile program or conventional forces.
Almost 14 months ago, Bush proposed a renewal of negotiation with North Korea, but Pyongyang showed no interest until this past spring. In January, Bush listed North Korea along with Iraq and Iran as a member of an "axis of evil" that posed a threat to international peace.
The United States and North Korea were set to have a meeting in Pyongyang three weeks ago but it was postponed following a clash at sea between vessels of North and South Korea off the South Korean coast.
North Korea surprised US officials late last week by indicating an interest in opening talks.