Editorial comments on N. Korea deal

PYONGYANG, North Korea, June 27 (UPI) -- A New York Times editorial Friday welcomed North Korea's submission of a list of its nuclear activities, saying it points to Pyongyang's changed attitude.

"Now that American diplomats finally have been freed to negotiate, there is a chance that North Korea can be persuaded to give up its weapons," the editorial said. "That would make the world a safer place."

Commenting on U.S. President George Bush's refusal for six years to conduct diplomacy with North Korea, the editorial said, "That obstinacy made the world a more dangerous place. While he was refusing to talk, Pyongyang made more fuel for more weapons and tested a nuclear device," it said.

The latest action by North Korea is "a welcome sign that the inward-looking North Koreans are looking for international approval," the newspaper said.

The editorial also noted Bush ultimately made some compromises, adding that all questions haven't been answered in the North's denuclearization.