North Korea delegation leaves for nuke talks with U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net - North Korea's delegation left for talks about its nuclear programme with the United States, in what will be the first significant contact by the two sides since the death of leader Kim Jong-Il, AFP reported.

The team headed by First Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Kye-Gwan departed on Tuesday, February 21 to attend "high-level talks" with the U.S., the state news agency said in a one-sentence report.

Kim will meet Glyn Davies, coordinator for U.S. policy on North Korea, in Beijing Thursday for discussions expected to provide clues about policy directions under Pyongyang's new leaders.

The bilateral meeting will be the third since last July. The two sides had been scheduled to meet in December but the plan was shelved after Kim's death on December 17.

Kim's youngest son Jong-Un has taken over but the regime has warned the world not to expect major policy changes.

The U.S. and North Korea will discuss a possible resumption of six-nation talks on the North's nuclear disarmament which were last held in December 2008. The six-way talks group includes China, Japan, the two Koreas, Russia and the United States.

Pyongyang wants an unconditional return to dialogue. Washington says it must first show sincerity, for example by shutting down a uranium enrichment plant which could give it a second way to make atomic bombs.

North Korea said last month that the United States had offered food aid and a suspension of sanctions if it halts its enrichment programme. The comments by a Pyongyang foreign ministry spokesman suggested that a deal was still on the cards if the U.S. raises the amount of food it is willing to offer.