US says likely meeting between 2 Koreas 'positive'

The White House says South Korea's decision to accept North Korea's offer to meet for high-level defense talks is "an important step forward."

South Korea said Thursday it had accepted the offer. The announcement came a day after both President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Washington and called for better communication between the two Koreas.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs called the development "an important step forward" and a "positive step."

The talks could prove significant if the two Koreas can put aside military and political tensions that soared to their worst level in years in 2010 and lay the groundwork for resuming long-stalled international negotiations on ending North Korea's nuclear programs.

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