N.M. governor (Richardson) to meet N. Korea officials
Associated Press ^ | December 15, 2006 | Deborah Baker




SANTA FE, N.M. - Gov. Bill Richardson's meeting with two North Korean officials will provide an opportunity for him to play a role he savors as well as showcase a skill in diplomacy that could boost any possible presidential bid.


Richardson was to meet privately with the diplomats Friday at the governor's mansion to discuss the upcoming six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The talks are set to begin Monday in Beijing.


The governor — a former congressman, U.N. ambassador and energy secretary during the Clinton administration — says the North Koreans requested the meeting with him.


[Snip]


"The only governor with a foreign policy" is how Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, describes Richardson.
The Democratic governor, who was just re-elected to a second term, has remained active in foreign affairs and is considering running for president in 2008. He has said he would decide in January.


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