U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday that upcoming six-party talks to end North Korea's nuclear threat will fail unless Pyongyang indicates it is willing to abandon its nuclear weapons.
In a meeting earlier with Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, Rice was reluctant to endorse a quick decision on expanding the U.N. Security Council, despite heavy campaigning by Japan and three other countries seeking permanent seats on the powerful body.
The so-called Group of Four -- Japan, Brazil, Germany and India -- submitted a resolution to the U.N. General Assembly last week that calls for expanding the current 15 UNSC membership to 25. They plan to put the resolution to a vote sometime around July 20.