World / IN BRIEF : NORTH KOREA : Pyongyang Return to Atom Pact Reported

North Korea has decided to retract its decision to withdraw from the international treaty on nuclear controls, South Korean news reports said. Another report quoted a North Korean diplomat as denying the retraction. The reports came amid a flurry of diplomatic moves aimed at bringing North Korea back into the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, from which it decided to withdraw in March. U.S. officials said Washington is willing to hold high-level talks with Pyongyang to help ease the situation. North Korea’s withdrawal from the treaty reinforced suspicion that Pyongyang might be developing nuclear weapons, despite its denials.