US willing to have 'credible' talks with DPRK

The White House on Sunday stated its desire to have "credible" negotiations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but demanded steps by the Asian nation to show its readiness to abide by its obligations. "Our desire is to have credible negotiations with the North Koreans," Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said in response to the latest offer of talks by the DPRK. "We have always favored dialogue and, in fact, have open lines of communication with the DPRK," Hayden said in a statement. "But those talks must involve North Korea (DPRK) living up to its obligations to the world, including compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions, and ultimately result in denuclearization." Earlier in the day, a spokesman of the DPRK's National Defense Commission proposed high-level talks with the United States "to defuse tension and realize regional peace and security on the Korean Peninsula." "We, as a nuclear state, no matter others recognized or not, propose high-level talks between the DPRK and U.S. governments to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and establish regional peace and security," the spokesman said in a special statement carried by the official KCNA news agency. "If the U.S. is truly interested in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and securing peace and security in the region, including the U.S. mainland, it should not speak about holding talks or making contact on the basis of preconditions," the spokesman added. Hayden said, however, that Washington will judge the DPRK "by its actions, and not its words," and looks forward to "seeing steps that show North Korea is ready to abide by its commitments and obligations." The U.S. State Department said on Friday that the U.S., Japan and South Korea will hold a trilateral meeting next week on the situation on the Korean Peninsula in Washington. Glyn Davies, the U.S. special representative for the DPRK, will discuss issues related to the DPRK with South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Cho Tae-yong, and Shinsuke Sugiyama, Japanese Foreign Ministry's director general for Asian and Oceanian affairs.