The Rides and Tours

The six-nation talks on ending North Korea's nuclear programs yielded their first accomplishment last week after two years of discussions -- a joint statement of "principles" to guide future talks. The document is a classic example of diplomacy, where words are used to hide disagreements or defer outstanding problems. Within a day, North Korea and the United States were arguing over what it meant. Here is a guide to the verbiage.

-- Glenn Kessler, Post diplomatic correspondent