Rice: US ready to resume six-party talks
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-27 09:19

The United States is ready to resume six-party talks with North Korea "immediately" as long as Pyongyang does not impose any conditions, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday.

In an interview with Reuters, Rice said North Korea must address U.S. concerns over illicit financial dealings. North Korea has said it would be unthinkable to return to talks aimed at getting Pyongyang to drop its nuclear programs while Washington imposed what amounted to "financial sanctions."

Asked if there was a way to resolve this impasse with Pyongyang, Rice said the North Koreans should start "living up to the law."

Rice said alleged illegal activities by the North Koreans, including the counterfeiting of American $100 bills, could not go unaddressed by the United States. "He ( President George W. Bush) has to defend the currency," Rice said.

She added: "We want the six party talks to resume. We have made very clear, Chris Hill made very clear when he was in Beijing -- no conditions. We will do it immediately," Rice said.

Hill, the U.S. chief negotiator in the talks, returned from Beijing last week where he met his North Korean counterpart and Chinese officials in an effort to restart stalled talks. The six-party talks also involve Japan, South Korea and Russia.

"These talks can get back on track but the North Koreans have got to make a choice that they are ready to come back and they have to come back unconditionally," added Rice.