Rice says North Korea must agree to strong verification

By Sue Pleming SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday after talks with North Korea that she believed Pyongyang was under no "illusions" it had to agree to a strong mechanism to verify its nuclear activities. On Wednesday, Rice joined ministers from South Korea, Russia, China and Japan in rare, "informal" talks with North Korean's Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian forum. "I don't think the North Koreans left with any illusions about the fact that the ball is in their court and that everybody believes they have got to respond and respond positively on verification," Rice told reporters. She said Wednesday's meeting -- the first time a U.S. foreign minister sat down with the North Koreans since 2004 -- delivered a strong message that Pyongyang must quickly... [read full story]