U.S. rejects special envoy to the North

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government is not considering sending a special envoy to the North in order to draw Pyeongyang to the negotiation table, the White House national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, said Thursday.

In a press briefing, Ms. Rice rejected North Korea's reported proposal to begin dialogue if Washington sends a high-ranking special delegate, such as a former U.S. president. "We have one president at a time. We have a secretary of state," Ms. Rice said. "I don't think we need any help from the outside." Ms. Rice urged the North to accept Washington's offer of talks with no precondition.

Washington has numerous options on how to approach the North, Ms. Rice said, but the U.S. government will not talk to Pyeongyang only for the sake of talks. "We believe that you can have a policy that speaks the truth, speaks clearly about the North Korean regime, and yet leaves open the possibility of dialogue," she said. Mr. Bush still supports Seoul's engagement policy toward the North, Ms. Rice added.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell also told reporters Thursday that the U.S. policy toward the North has been well understood at home and abroad and there is no change in that policy.

Pyeongyang should show constructive response to Seoul's engagement policy, or else it will enter the path of self-destruction, James Kelly, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, argued Thursday. Two days before Mr. Bush's departure to Asia, Mr. Kelly testified at the House Committee on International Relations.

by Kim Jin