US Envoy Washington Ready for Talks With North Korea

A top U.S. diplomat says Washington remains ready for talks with North Korea, but will enforce sanctions aimed at shutting down Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs.

New U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell told reporters upon his arrival in the South Korean capital of Seoul Saturday that under the right circumstances, the U.S. would be prepared to sit down with North Korea if Pyongyang would abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Campbell discussed the issue with Japanese officials in Tokyo Friday and told reporters that it is important to send a collective message to North Korea that it is not too late to return to what he called "responsible negotiations."

Campbell and Japanese officials agreed to strengthen the U.S. defense of Japan against any nuclear attack by North Korea.

North Korea's nominal number two leader Kim Yong Nam said Wednesday that talks with foreign powers were impossible without respect for the sovereignty of the communist state.

Japan, South Korea, Russia, China and the United States are parties in disarmament talks with North Korea.  

The last round of talks in December in China ended without an agreement.  Since then, tensions on the Korean peninsula have steadily worsened.

North Korea raised international concern when it tested a long range missile in April and conducted a nuclear test in May. In June, the United Nations imposed new strict sanctions against the country to prevent it from acquiring material needed for its nuclear programs.

Campbell will join U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a regional forum of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) next week in Thailand.