Chinese premier to visit N. Korea next month: sources

SEOUL, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao is expected to
visit North Korea early next month amid discussion between Washington and
Pyongyang about possible bilateral talks aimed at denuclearizing the North,
diplomatic sources said Monday.
Wen is likely to visit the North after visiting Mongolia, sources told Yonhap
News Agency by telephone, adding that his visit will be made about Oct. 4-6. A
detailed itinerary, however, has not been revealed.
The move would come months after the premier canceled his earlier plan to visit
the North, scheduled for the first half of the year, following Pyongyang's second
nuclear test in defiance of opposition from the international community.
Wen's visit is seen as an effort by China to play some kind of mediation role
ahead of possible Washington-Pyongyang talks, observers say.
Last week, the U.S. announced it will soon undertake bilateral negotiations with
the North to persuade it to return to the suspended six-party talks.
Pyongyang has boycotted the talks, claiming the negotiation framework was being
used to infringe upon its sovereign right to develop nuclear and space
technology. The six-party process also involves South Korea, China, Japan and
Russia.
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