WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION North Korea agrees to 6-way nuclear arms talks

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea said that it has agreed to six-way nuclear talks starting Feb. 25, prompting expectations the countries will discuss the communist nation's offer to freeze its atomic programs in exchange for concessions from Washington.
The announcement today was a breakthrough after months of trying to restart 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.
Hours after the North's official news agency, KCNA, said the reclusive Stalinist government had agreed to return to the negotiating table, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue announced China would host the upcoming meeting.
Neither KCNA nor Zhang said how long this month's meeting would last. The previous round, held in Beijing in August, ran three days.
Zhang said that all sides decided that conditions are right to hold talks now and that all should "exert sincerity and flexibility."
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.