ID :
106308
Fri, 02/12/2010 - 17:27
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/106308
The shortlink copeid
U.N. special envoy 'very satisfied' with talks in Pyongyang: report
SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy to North Korea said Friday he is "very satisfied" with talks he held in Pyongyang to persuade the communist state to rejoin stalled nuclear negotiations, Xinhua reported.
The official Chinese news agency did not say whether Lynn Pascoe, U.N.
undersecretary-general for political affairs, made additional comments at the
airport where he was leaving for China after a four-day trip to North Korea.
The visit by Pascoe coincided with a trip to Beijing by North Korea's nuclear
envoy to the six-party talks, which have not been held since late 2008. North
Korea has since then conducted its second nuclear test and prompted the U.N. to
toughen sanctions on it.
Pascoe is the highest-ranking U.N. diplomat to visit North Korea. The last
high-level trip by a U.N. official to North Korea took place in 2004.
During Pascoe's visit, Pyongyang's official media reported that North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il "received a verbal personal message" from Ban without
elaborating on its contents.
Pascoe was scheduled to hold a press meeting after he arrives in Beijing later
Friday.
On Thursday, Kim Kye-gwan, the North's representative to the six-party
negotiations, said he held "in-depth" discussions on resuming the talks in his
meetings with Chinese officials.
"We exchanged important opinions with China on the matters of a peace treaty
between the two Koreas and the resumption of the six-party talks," he told
reporters in Beijing. North Korea says talks aimed at replacing the 1950-53
Korean War truce with a peace treaty should be launched if it is to rejoin the
six-party dialogue.
It also says U.N. sanctions imposed on it for its nuclear and missile testing
must be lifted before it returns to the talks that also group the U.S., China,
South Korea, Japan and Russia.
Pascoe met with Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's
Assembly, during his trip, Xinhua said.
(END)
The official Chinese news agency did not say whether Lynn Pascoe, U.N.
undersecretary-general for political affairs, made additional comments at the
airport where he was leaving for China after a four-day trip to North Korea.
The visit by Pascoe coincided with a trip to Beijing by North Korea's nuclear
envoy to the six-party talks, which have not been held since late 2008. North
Korea has since then conducted its second nuclear test and prompted the U.N. to
toughen sanctions on it.
Pascoe is the highest-ranking U.N. diplomat to visit North Korea. The last
high-level trip by a U.N. official to North Korea took place in 2004.
During Pascoe's visit, Pyongyang's official media reported that North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il "received a verbal personal message" from Ban without
elaborating on its contents.
Pascoe was scheduled to hold a press meeting after he arrives in Beijing later
Friday.
On Thursday, Kim Kye-gwan, the North's representative to the six-party
negotiations, said he held "in-depth" discussions on resuming the talks in his
meetings with Chinese officials.
"We exchanged important opinions with China on the matters of a peace treaty
between the two Koreas and the resumption of the six-party talks," he told
reporters in Beijing. North Korea says talks aimed at replacing the 1950-53
Korean War truce with a peace treaty should be launched if it is to rejoin the
six-party dialogue.
It also says U.N. sanctions imposed on it for its nuclear and missile testing
must be lifted before it returns to the talks that also group the U.S., China,
South Korea, Japan and Russia.
Pascoe met with Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's
Assembly, during his trip, Xinhua said.
(END)
