Clinton trip to N.K. hangs on missile talks

The Washington Post reported Nov. 1 that the U.S. President Bill Clinton would not decide on his potential visit to North Korea until after the conclusion of the North-U.S. missile talks taking place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Post revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had reported to Clinton on Oct. 31 concerning her visit to Pyongyang and conveyed that the North would consider shelving its missile development plan in lieu of satellite launch assistance.

The Post reported that those in the U.S. administration believed the North's leader Kim Jong-Il's statement to be sincere, and one official said that Kim even tried to discuss technical issues during his talk with Albright.

The Post quoted one high-ranking official as saying that Clinton wishes to affirm the exact nature and details of the missile development issue prior to discussing a possible visit to North Korea.