North Korea could be ready to re-engage

North Korea's release of two American journalists could be a sign that the secretive and volatile regime is ready to re-engage in negotiations about its nuclear weapons program, say U.S. experts. It remains unclear how far Pyongyang is willing to go to calm growing regional and international worries about its nuclear and missile capabilities. North Korea has said it does not want to resume six-party talks, but would consider bilateral talks with the U.S. Robert Carlin of the Ploughshares-funded Center for International Security and Cooperation commented the decision by the administration of President George W. Bush to take a hard-line stance toward North Korea allowed Pyongyang to use its isolation to deepen its nuclear program. Carlin compared that policy to "stepping out of an airplane without a parachute" and said that as a result, "we may not be able easily to reverse" North Korea's commitment to nuclear weapons.

Associated Press