I believe our embassy has been in touch with Russian authorities. At the assistant secretary level here, we have been working the issue as well.

Assistant Secretary Hill reiterated in private what we have said in public about this issue, that they're separate and that we would hope the North Korean government would return without preconditions to the six-party talks.

There are still unresolved questions concerning his activities surrounding the taking of the American embassy in Tehran and his activities in that subsequent period in which American citizens were held for 444 days. We have not forgotten that.

There are still unresolved questions concerning his activities surrounding the taking of the American embassy in Tehran and his activities in that subsequent period in which American citizens were held for 444 days. We have not forgotten that,

We've been very clear, the president, the secretary of state and others have made it very clear that the United States has no plans to invade or attack North Korea.

The secretary had a good set of discussions with her foreign minister counterparts during her most recent trip to Europe, and I would expect that dialogue would continue. It is a dialogue of mutual respect.