| U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in | | | | she said. |
| Tokyo as part of a six-nation Asian tour, has | | | | Pyongyang, which says it is building nuclear |
| urged North Korea to return to the stalled | | | | weapons as a deterrent, has said it would not |
| six-nation talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons | | | | consider new talks, until Ms. Rice apologizes for |
| program. In later remarks, Ms. Rice also gave a | | | | earlier calling North Korea "an outpost of tyranny." |
| hint that there are limits to Washington's patience. | | | | Earlier this week, the North's official news agency |
| In what U.S. officials billed as a major policy | | | | called Ms. Rice "bereft of any political logic." |
| speech, and later in remarks to reporters, the | | | | The U.S. secretary of state has already visited |
| secretary of state said Saturday it is time for | | | | India, Pakistan and Afghanistan on this trip. After |
| North Korea to stop brandishing its nuclear | | | | Japan, she is due to spend time in South Korea |
| capability, and resolve the issue in the multilateral | | | | and China. |
| arena. | | | | She says she will appeal to Chinese officials to use |
| She called on all nations to use whatever leverage | | | | their influence with Pyongyang to help restart the |
| they can to bring Pyongyang back to the | | | | stalled negotiations, but she is playing down |
| negotiating table, where talks are aimed at | | | | expectations that there will be a breakthrough on |
| convincing the North Koreans to dismantle their | | | | this trip. |
| nuclear programs. | | | | During a wide ranging meeting with her Japanese |
| In a speech at Sophia University early in the day, | | | | counterpart, Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, |
| Ms. Rice reiterated that the United States has no | | | | on Saturday, the U.S. secretary of state called on |
| intention of attacking North Korea. But her later | | | | Japan to quickly resume U.S. beef imports. She |
| remarks contained a hint of a threat, in the event | | | | said the matter is "very, very important" to the |
| that diplomacy fails. | | | | U.S. government. |
| "We are committed to diplomacy, but I think it | | | | The beef trade has been halted for 15 months, |
| goes without saying that no one is going to be | | | | since one dairy cow in Washington State, |
| prepared to allow the North Koreans just to | | | | exported from Canada, was found to have "mad |
| continue down a road that threatens everyone," | | | | cow" disease. |