“I crave a dance with George W. Bush”

“I crave a dance with George W. Bush, United States President.”

Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister of Japan, has conveyed that North Korean leader Kim Jung-il craves direct conversation with Bush, a press of Japan reported on June 12.

According to an insider in the Japanese Government, Koizumi made this known at a summit meeting between the U.S. and Japan on June 8, saying that Kim expressed the changed attitude when the two met on May 22 to discuss the settlement of the nuclear weapons issue.

Bush rejected Kim’s idea, saying, “There will be no bilateral discussion. It must be a six-nation conference.” However, Koizumi has insisted the conversation take place between the two nations, saying, “Two nations could have a meeting before the six-nation conference.”

The press of Japan interpreted Koizumi’s comment as a proposal for a full-scale negotiation between the two nations, assuming that even if a six-nation conference were held, there would be much direct contact between the North Korea and U.S. representatives.

Won-Jae Park parkwj@donga.com