U.S. Said to Weigh a New Approach on North Korea

President Bush’s top advisers have recommended a broad new approach to dealing with North Korea that would include beginning negotiations on a peace treaty, even while efforts to dismantle the country’s nuclear program are still under way, senior administration officials and Asian diplomats say.

This represents at least a partial realignment of US policy – but, the idea is not to go so far as to enter bilateral negotiations concerning nuclear issues:

Aides say Mr. Bush is very likely to approve the new approach, which has been hotly debated among different factions within the administration. But he will not do so unless North Korea returns to multinational negotiations over its nuclear program. The talks have been stalled since September.

This could be good, or not. Given the proclivities of the post-Reagan administrations to bend over backwards in the interest of showing some “progress” on refractory issues, the Chief thinks there are good grounds for some degree of cynical caution, but that may be too much to hope for any more.