Bush gets some praise from Mr Kim’s friends

The praise for Bush comes a day after the North labeled US Vice President Dick Cheney a ‘‘bloodthirsty beast’’ after he had said Kim Jong-il was irresponsible and runs a police state.

‘‘If Bush’s remarks put an end to the scramble between the hawkish group and the moderate group in the US, which has thrown the Korean policy into a state of confusion, it would help create an atmosphere of the six-party talks,’’ the spokesman said.

‘‘We will closely follow if his remarks would not change day and night, as this happened in the past,’’ the spokesman said.

Washington has been trying to get North Korea to return to six-party talks aimed at ending Pyongyang’s nuclear programmes in exchange for security guarantees and economic assistance.

The talks, stalled for almost a year, bring together the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan. On Tuesday, Bush said there were still diplomatic options available to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions without having to resort to a military strike.

‘‘And so it’s a matter of continuing to send a message to Mr. Kim Jong-il that if you want to be accepted by the neighbourhood and be a part of those who are viewed with respect in the world, work with us to get rid of your nuclear weapons programme,’’ he said. Bush’s comments marked a change in tone, after he called the North’s leader a ‘‘tyrant’’ and ‘‘a dangerous person’’ in April.