US to talk with NKorea, replace envoy

 The United States will hold a fresh round of talks with North Korea on its nuclear program next week, officials said Wednesday, and will appoint a new full-time envoy to negotiate with the reclusive regime.

The U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Glyn Davies, will replace the current envoy Stephen Bosworth, according to U.S. officials and a Washington-based foreign diplomat.Both developments indicate Washington wants to deepen its engagement with Pyongyang, amid enduring worries over its nuclear weapons program.

The talks will be held in Geneva Oct. 24-25, following preliminary negotiations between the two sides in New York in late July that ended a long hiatus in direct engagement with North Korea.The officials and diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter before the formal announcement, expected later Wednesday.

Bosworth, who has long experience in diplomacy with North Korea, has continued to serve as dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University since he was appointed special representative for North Korea Policy in February 2009.

Davies is a respected career diplomat. Prior to serving at the IAEA, he held a senior position in the State Department's bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. During the presidency of Bill Clinton, he served as the State Department's deputy spokesman.