North Korea Agrees to Hold Nuclear Talks

North Korea said Tuesday that it has agreed to six-nation talks on its atomic weapons programs starting Feb. 25, prompting expectations that the countries will discuss Pyongyang’s offer for a nuclear freeze.

The announcement was a breakthrough after months of trying to resume negotiations among the United States, China, Russia, Japan and the two Koreas. An earlier round, aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear programs, ended in August without much progress.

“The DPRK and the U.S., the major parties concerned to the six-way talks, and China, the host country, agreed to resume the next round of the six-way talks from February 25 after having a series of discussion,” North Korea’s official KCNA news agency reported. DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

“A discussion was made with the parties concerned in this regard,” it said, without giving other details.

China later confirmed it would host the talks, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue saying all sides decided that conditions are right and that all should “exert sincerity and flexibility.”

Washington and Pyongyang had disagreed on ground rules for resuming six-nation talks.

North Korea had insisted it needs a nuclear “deterrent” against a possible U.S. attack. But it has said it would suspend its nuclear programs as a first step in talks if Washington lifts sanctions against the North, resumes oil shipments, and removes North Korea from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

The United States has said North Korea must first verifiably begin dismantling its nuclear programs before receiving any concessions.

South Korean’s Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck said he expects North Korea to explain its position and its offer to freeze its nuclear activities at the coming round, and that other countries will likely voice their opinions on the offer. China’s Zhang said details were still being discussed.

“We’re not bringing any agendas,” Lee said. “The agenda is resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.”

Lee said his government had not promised any concessions in response to the freeze offer.

“Though we cannot have big expectations, we think what each country wants will be made clear this time,” Lee said.

The announcement came ahead of inter-Korean talks in Seoul this week. The talks are aimed at promoting reconciliation between the two sides, but the nuclear issue has overshadowed similar Cabinet-level talks in the past.

The KCNA report did not say how long this month’s meeting would last, while South Korea’s Lee said they were open-ended. The August round ran for three days.

South Korean, Japan and the United States are considering holding a meeting a week to 10 days prior to the Feb. 25 talks to prepare for the negotiations, Lee said.

In Tokyo, Japanese, U.S., and Australian diplomats met Tuesday to discuss North Korea and Iraq. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met with Yukio Takeuchi, the top bureaucrat in Japan’s foreign ministry. Details of their discussions were not immediately available.

The nuclear dispute flared in October 2002 when U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a uranium program in violation of a 1994 deal.