S. Korea: Talks with North could be fruitless

South Korea raised the prospect Thursday that high-level talks with North Korea could end without any agreement if the two sides fail to narrow differences in the wake of the communist nation's internationally condemned missile launches. At the talks that run through Friday, the North has renewed a demand for rice aid. However, the South has previously said it would suspend such shipments in the wake of last week's missile launches. "There is something that North Korea wants, such as rice aid," said South Korean delegation spokesman Yang Chang-seok. "But we've made clear our position on that before the talks. If North Korea judges it has nothing to gain ... we could imagine a scenario where the two sides fail to narrow differences."