U.S. President George W. Bush held out the prospect of normal diplomatic ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in a letter to DPRK leader Kim Jong Il, U.S. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said Friday.

 

Bush, in the letter dated Dec. 1, held out the above-mentioned prospect but meanwhile stressed that is the "ultimate goal," Johndroe said, adding that the United States is still pursuing the principle of "actions for actions" in the process of solving the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsular.

 

In his first-ever personal letter to Kim Jong Il, Bush urged Pyongyang to fully disclose its nuclear activities.

 

The U.S. president also wrote to the other four parties of the six-party talks which include China, Russia, Japan and South Korea.

 

"In these letters, the president reiterated our commitment to the six-party talks and stressed the need for North Korea to come forward with a full and complete declaration of their nuclear programs, as called for in the September 2005 six-party agreement," Johndroe said Thursday.

 

According to a six-party talks joint document released in Beijing on Oct. 3, the DPRK agreed to disable all the existing nuclear facilities and provide a complete and correct declaration of all its nuclear programs by the end of this year.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)