By ASSOCIATED PRESS
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday that North Korea has not yet shown it is serious about complying with an international agreement to drop its nuclear weapons program.
"I think the jury is out on whether the North Koreans are serious," Rice told reporters after meeting with most of the other members of a six-way international negotiating team on North Korea attending a forum of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.
South Korea's foreign minister said Tuesday that talks with the North would resume in January. A disappointing round of talks ended last week without new progress this week toward agreeing on details of how to carry out North Korea's pledge in September to abandon nuclear development in exchange for aid and a security guarantee.
At the opening session of the forum, Rice urged better cooperation among Asian trading partners facing threats of terrorism, adding that richer nations must help poorer ones in that fight.