French envoy meets N. Korea's foreign minister: report

By Tony Chang
SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- A special envoy of French President Nicolas Sarkozy on
North Korea met with the communist country's top diplomat on Tuesday, the North's
media said, in a visit seen as aimed at exploring ways of improving bilateral
relations.

Jack Lang, who arrived in Pyongyang on Monday, met with North Korean Foreign
Minister Pak Ui-chun at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, according to a
report from the North's Korean Central News Agency monitored in Seoul.
The two sides discussed various issues pertaining to the countries' mutual
interest, the report said without giving further details.
France is one of the few countries in the European Union that does not have
diplomatic ties with North Korea.
Lang visited South Korea, Japan and the United States last month and said France
was seeking ways of contributing to regional negotiations over the North's
nuclear weapons program. The envoy is expected to propose economic aid from the
EU on condition of progress in Pyongyang's denuclearization.
It was not yet known whether Lang would be granted a meeting with North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il during his five-day trip. The French Socialist Party member
and former culture minister is expected to submit a report on his North Korea
visit to Sarkozy after his return from Pyongyang on Friday.
Before departing Beijing's Shoudu Airport for Pyongyang, Lang told reporters he
was carrying a "special message" from President Sarkozy and that he was hoping to
meet a very important person in North Korea. He added that Sarkozy hopes for a
meeting between his envoy and Kim.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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