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SEOUL : United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon is to send two special envoys to North Korea to discuss restoring high-level talks and helping revive the nuclear disarmament process, a report said Sunday.
Kim Won-Soo, an adviser to UN Secretary General Ban, and Lynn Pascoe, UN undersecretary-general for political affairs, will make a four-day visit to the communist state from February 9, Yonhap news agency said.
Yonhap, citing an unnamed UN official, said the visit will aim primarily to resume the suspended high-level talks between the United Nations and North Korea.
The UN envoys will also discuss issues related to North Korea's nuclear weapons programme and humanitarian aid, according to Yonhap.
The United Nations wanted to send envoys to Pyongyang early last year but North Korea rejected the offer, the agency said.
North Korea has been under growing international pressure to return to six-nation nuclear disarmament talks that the communist state has boycotted for nine months.
Tougher UN sanctions have been imposed on the North since its missile and nuclear tests last year.
The North's economy has been hit by the sanctions, which restricted its weapons exports. The nation has relied on foreign aid to feed its people since it suffered a devastating famine in the 1990s.
The UN could decide to ease or roll back the sanctions if there is substantial progress on the talks which group the two Koreas, the US, Russia, China and Japan.
But before rejoining the North has demanded an end to sanctions and talks on a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-1953 Korean War.
- AFP/ir
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