French envoy says N.Korea accepts talks on human rights

BEIJING (AFP) – France's special envoy to North Korea, Jack Lang, said Friday following a five-day visit to the reclusive state that Pyongyang had agreed to an "exchange" with Paris on human rights issues.

"The top leaders announced that as a special gesture to France, they had accepted our proposal for an exchange on human rights with France," Lang told AFP in an interview shortly after his arrival in Beijing.

Lang noted that Pyongyang had previously cut off similar talks with the European Union on the same issue.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's special envoy said he had "about 10 hours of cordial, warm and frank meetings" with North Korean officials including the country's number two leader Kim Yong-Nam and Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun.

He said those talks had resulted in "positive progress" on several issues including the North's controversial nuclear programme, without providing any details.

France is not part of six-nation nuclear disarmament talks but is one of the five veto-wielding permanent UN Security Council members.

Lang reiterated that Paris could "play a certain role" in international efforts to resolve the standoff.

The North quit the six-party disarmament talks in April and conducted an atomic weapons test in May, its second since 2006.

Pyongyang has said it is ready to return to the multilateral forum but only after bilateral talks with Washington.

These are expected by year-end after Washington agreed to send its special envoy on the North, Stephen Bosworth, to Pyongyang.

"All subjects -- those involving cooperation and others that are more controversial" were discussed, said Lang, a former Socialist culture minister.

Lang's trip was aimed at exploring the conditions under which France could establish diplomatic relations with North Korea. It is the only major European country that does not have formal ties with Pyongyang.

"I will brief the president on my trip next week and will propose some initiatives," he said.

"I am ready to go back to North Korea at any moment, if he so chooses."

When asked if he had met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, Lang said he had been told that Kim was not in Pyongyang and so was "not disappointed".

The French envoy, who visited the North Korean countryside as well as the capital, said the "social situation in some areas is very difficult... especially in terms of health and food issues".