Gorbachev: rise of U.S. Democrats could help resolve NKorea nuclear standoff

     MOSCOW (AP) - The U.S. elections that gave the Democratic party control of both houses of Congress could help promote a resolution of the international standoff with North Korea over its nuclear program, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said Friday, according to the Interfax news agency.
     Gorbachev said the elections were among a number of factors that raise hope for a resolution of the crisis, which deepened with Pyongyang's nuclear test last month.
     He suggested that U.S. President George W. Bush's tough stance on North Korea may have contributed to the North's decision to conduct the test - a view shared by Russian officials who say Pyongyang was provoked.
     "The fact that the president is a Republican and the Democrats control the House of Representatives and the Senate marks a serious change," said Gorbachev, according to the agency. Another potential factor is the leadership change in Japan, he said.
     "Now the moment is right to seize new opportunities for improvement, not only of the negotiating process but also the routes to real achievements," said Gorbachev, whose resignation in 1991 sealed the breakup of the Soviet Union.
     North Korea has agreed to return to long-stalled six-country talks on its nuclear program since the Oct. 9 test, which triggered international outrage and economic sanctions, but no date has been set for their resumption.
     Participants in the talks are both Koreas, Russia, China, Japan and the U.S.

Associated Press, 10.11.2006