U.S. Says N. Korea Seems Ready for Talks

WASHINGTON - North Korea has dropped its insistence on one-on-one talks with the United States and is ready to accept a U.S. proposal for six-nation negotiations on ending its nuclear weapons programs, the State Department said Thursday.

Officials said they expect the United States and North Korea to be joined by China, South Korea, Japan and Russia to discuss the issue in the near future.

The Bush administration has sought such six-way talks, but North Korea had insisted on a bilateral meeting with the United States to negotiate a nonaggression treaty.