U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING Briefer: Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2000 1:50 P.M. (ON THE RECORD UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED) Q: And if I can ask a question on North Korea, there are reports that the President of North Korea now says he was just kidding when he had talked to Putin about stopping their missile program. So how do you assess that statement, and does that have any impact on what the US is trying to do? MR. REEKER: We discussed this at some length yesterday. We continue to see various and contradictory reports in the press of what Kim Jong-il told the South Korean media officials when he met with them last Saturday. I think, if nothing else, the reports of that interview demonstrate the uncertainty surrounding the proposal regarding missiles that Kim was said to have made during the visit of President Putin, Russian President Putin, in Pyongyang. I'll reiterate, as we've done before, that when Secretary Albright met with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek in Bangkok last month, she was not able to glean any particular information about what proposal may or may not have been made. The foreign minister didn't provide any clarification then. I do think that we don't think overall it is particularly productive to try to conduct our dialogue with North Korea through an analysis of press commentary, and the best way to deal with this issue is in direct discussions. As you know, we've had missile talks with the North Koreans previously. We expect to have others, and in upcoming meetings with US and North Korean officials it will give us an opportunity to explore more fully any proposals that the North Koreans may have made or may wish to make in a more serious manner than trying to go back and forth between contradictory press reports. (The briefing was concluded at 2:10 P.M.) (end transcript)
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