A time for talk.

Byline: The Register-Guard

The Bush administration should embrace North Korea's offer to resolve concerns over its nuclear weapons program through talks. As Winston Churchill once observed, ``To jaw, jaw' is always better than to war, war.''

To its credit, the White House has not engaged in its usual saber rattling and "axis of evil" rhetoric since North Korea's concession earlier this month that it is conducing a secret nuclear weapons program. Unlike their response to Baghdad, U.S. officials so far have exhibited moderation in dealing with Pyongyang and appropriate deference to U.S. allies in the region, Japan and South Korea.

While the United States intends to use military force if needed to disarm Iraq, administration officials are signaling that they expect diplomatic pressure to be sufficient to eliminate North Korea's nuclear weapons program. That's a wise approach, one that recognizes that North Korea's admission fits its recent pattern of opening up channels to the outside world, admitting past actions and re-establishing relations with former foes.

During the past two years, North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong II has visited China and Russia, and initiated new contacts with South Korea and Japan. Earlier this year, Kim's regime apologized for a deadly naval skirmish off South Korea and admitted that his nation had kidnapped a number of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s.

Now, North Korea has admitted violating the terms of a 1994 agreement with the United States to freeze nuclear weapons development. This is no small transgression, especially given the absence of any pledge by North Korea to halt its illicit program. Kim's regime also breached the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and a joint accord with South Korea not to develop nuclear weapons.

While it's uncertain if North Korea has produced nuclear bombs, scientists say it will almost certainly have such capability in the near future. A nuclear-armed North Korea could threaten South Korea and the tens of thousands of U.S. troops that are stationed there, as well as Japan. China and Russia are also no doubt uneasy at the prospect of the the quirky Kim's fingers flitting anywhere close to a red launch button.

Bush administration officials note with some legitimacy that North Korea's situation is different from that of Iraq, although we believe military action is not yet warranted against either country. In the case of North Korea, Kim has not yet shown himself to be as intractable as Saddam Hussein, and the international community should make every attempt to seek disarmament through negotiations, inspections and sanctions.

Unlike Iraq, North Korea has a large, well equipped and heavily armed army that is poised to pulverize Seoul at a moment's notice. Moreover, North Korea is surrounded by nations, including South Korea, China, Russia and Japan, that are highly motivated and eager to work with the United States to negotiate disarmament.

North Korea also has a vast need to receive economic assistance from the United States and other nations. Its population habitually teeters on the brink of starvation and freezing. Without aid, Kim's regime may soon collapse. That's a strong inducement for the dictator to abandon his weapons program and to allow the verification measures that, in light of the violation of the 1994 accord, must be both intrusive and without restriction.

North Korea has now signaled its willingness to put its secret nuclear program on the negotiating table. The United States and its allies should accept Kim's invitation to, as Churchill once put it, "jaw, jaw."