Powell - No talks with North Korea could be mistake

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Shunning talks with North Korea could be a costly U.S. mistake, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday, contending that negotiations with the communist state could alter policies that produce militarism and widespread hunger.

Powell was speaking at a news conference in Brunei before flying to Indonesia Thursday night.

Powell said President Bush was merely recognizing "fact and reality" when, last January, he listed North Korea as part of a perceived "axis of evil," along with Iran and Iraq.

He noted North Korea has acquired weapons of mass destruction and exported missiles while leaving many "in desperate need of food or other means of giving a decent life."

"We want to enter a dialogue to see if that reality can change to a more positive reality," Powell said.

Some administration officials believe the family dynasty that has run North Korea with an iron hand cannot be counted on to negotiate in good faith.

After an icebreaking chat Powell had on Wednesday with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun, Bush is expected to give formal approval for a resumption of negotiations after conferring with Powell.

Powell suggested that North Korea may be softening up somewhat, pointing to conciliatory signals to rivals Japan and South Korea recently and indications of eagerness to reopen dialogue with Washington.