Rice rebukes envoy on N.Korea comments

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reportedly expressed strong disagreement over a White House envoy's comments on U.S. North Korea policy.

On her trip to Berlin, Rice told reporters aboard the plane Jay Lefkowitz, U.S. President Bush's special envoy on North Korean human rights, did not speak for the administration in his recent talk to the American Enterprise Institute, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Lefkowitz reportedly said in his speech the United States "should consider a new approach" on North Korea's denuclearization as the current one is not likely to resolve it before Bush's term ends.

"He's the human rights envoy. That's what he knows. That's what he does … He doesn't know what's going on in the six-party talks and he certainly has no say in what American policy will be in the six-party talks," The Times quoted Rice as saying. The talks involve the United States, Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas.

Lefkowitz was later quoted as having told The Times from his office in New York that he and Rice had an amicable and useful conversation about their disagreement.

The six-party talks are currently at a critical point after North Korea missed a year-end deadline to disclose all of its nuclear programs but Rice reportedly wants a continuation of a restrained approach.