North Korea 'positive' over Seoul talks

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, has responded positively to a message from his South Korean counterpart urging fresh talks, the Indonesian president, Megawati Sukarnoputri has said.

Mrs Megawati made the announcement in Seoul, following a meeting with President Kim Dae-jung.

She gave no details of the message or the response.

The Indonesian president held talks with the North's leader in Pyongyang on Friday in what officials described as a warm and friendly atmosphere.

She has called for North Korea to re-open dialogue with the South, saying peace would benefit the whole Asia-Pacific region.

Relations between the two Koreas cooled when President Bush described North Korea as part of an axis of evil.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service