Bush administration officials believe that the hard-line governments in Iran and North Korea are showing a new readiness to negotiate with the United States, opening perhaps the biggest opportunity to solve some longstanding differences since President Bush labeled Tehran and Pyongyang as members of an “axis of evil” two years ago. The administration credits its own hard-line policies — on display in Iraq — with forcing concessions, including Iran’s acceptance last fall of international arms inspectors and new signals from North Korea last week that it might be willing to end its nuclear weapons program. But the administration also has softened its approach in recent months to dealing with governments it once derided as tyrants and enemies of freedom. It signaled its approval Friday for a private US delegation to visit North Korea’s most secretive nuclear facility and was talking directly to the Iranian government last week over earthquake relief, although diplomatic relations with Tehran were severed more than two decades ago. Full Story
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