N.K., U.S. move closer to agreement on missile issue

North Korea and the United States came closer to an accord on the North Korean missile development program that would trade the North's abandonment of its long-range missile development in exchange for the U.S. launch of North Korean satellites.

The North Korean side displayed a positive attitude in expert-level missile talks at the American Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday afternoon and Friday morning following instructions from its home government. The two sides are reported to have hammered out the framework of an agreement on the long-range missile program.

In this regard, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said in a press conference Thursday that the bilateral talks were centered on U.S. launches of North Korean satellites, indicating that considerable progress had been made in this matter.

The Friday meeting was to be held from 11 a. m. but was delayed for about one hour as the North had to receive orders from Pyongyang.