NKorean foreign minister arrives in China

BEIJING: North Korea’s foreign minister arrived in Beijing for an official visit, Chinese state media said Saturday, amid US claims the reclusive regime helped Syria build a nuclear reactor.

Pak Ui Chun will meet with top officials including his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi during a four-day stay, Xinhua news agency said. The report did not give reasons for the North Korean envoy’s visit to his country’s most important ally.

However, it comes amid stalled efforts to get Pyongyang to comply with an accord under which it agreed to give up all nuclear programmes, and new US accusations it had helped Syria build a covert reactor.

The United States is still pushing for North Korea to come clean on its nuclear capabilities as required under the deal signed in February last year in six-nation talks hosted by Beijing.

Experts have warned that the allegations of helping Syria, made in Washington this week, could wreck the deal, hammered out in lengthy talks between the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia.

The talks have been stalled over the requirement that the North declare all its nuclear activities by the end of 2007. The North said it delivered the documentation last November but the US said it was incomplete.

The US says the declaration must clear up suspicions about an alleged secret uranium enrichment programme and the suspected proliferation to Syria. (AFP)