North Korea says it sees need for nuclear talks

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea said today that it understands the need to resume the stalled international talks on ending its nuclear programs, and that it agrees to work with the United States to narrow unspecified “remaining differences.”

The statement from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry was the first reaction from the communist nation to three days of high-level talks with President Barack Obama’s special envoy. Upon returning from North Korea on Thursday, envoy Stephen Bosworth made similar remarks that the two sides reached common understandings on the need to restart the nuclear talks.

Though the North stopped short of making a firm commitment to return to the negotiating table, its reaction appears positive and raises hope that the stalled disarmament process could resume.

The North said in the statement that this week’s meetings with the U.S. “deepened the mutual understanding, narrowed their differences and found not a few common points.”