FED:US keen on Rudd idea of expanding 6-nation talks:ambassador

AAP General News (Australia)
04-18-2008
FED:US keen on Rudd idea of expanding 6-nation talks:ambassador

CANBERRA, April 18 AAP - The US government has taken on board Prime Minister Kevin
Rudd's suggestion of expanding the six-nation talks on North Korea into a regional security
architecture.

US Ambassador Robert McCallum says America is interested in the suggestion, which Mr
Rudd raised on his recent trip to Washington.

"The six-party talks are focused in a particular area right now - the denuclearisation
of the Korean Peninsula," he told Sky News today.

But, he said, all of the countries involved in the six-party talks, aimed at resolving
concerns over North Korea's nuclear program, were at least considering the possibility
that a regional security dialogue might be in everyone's interest.

"The prime minister certainly raised that with the secretary of state (Condoleezza
Rice), she is interested in it, but where exactly that goes right now is pure speculation,"

he said.

Mr McCallum said it was too premature for him to speculate on how the idea might develop,
but there was genuine interest in considering the plan.

"One never knows where it will go, whether it will go anywhere at all, but ... it is
very significant that the countries (concerned) are interested in continuing to develop
their relationship whether in that forum or some other forum that we haven't even thought
of," he said.

On China, he said the US was not concerned over Australia's efforts to forge closer
ties with Beijing, rejecting the suggestion that it posed a risk to US-Australian relations.

"I think all countries in this region are well served with an increasing participation
by China in the community of nations," he said.

"I think that is something that everyone is interested in - there are numerous issues
that the prime minister and the president recognise and acknowledge in increasing the
close relationship with China.

"Both our nations will be well served, the people of China will be well served by that,
and the people of this entire region will be well served by that."

Mr McCallum said the US was also interested in developing a stronger economic relationship
with China.

"The United States is interested in developing closer relationships economically and
otherwise with China, just as Australia is," he said.

"And as China develops those relationships with our two countries, it becomes more
dependent on our two countries, and therefore we have a greater opportunity ... to show
China that certain activities are not in its best national interest and certain activities
are.

"The two of us who agree on so many, many things may in the aggregate have a greater
positive impact on relationships with China than any one of us by ourselves."

AAP kms/sb/jnb/cdh

KEYWORD: KOREA AUST MCCALLUM

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