Chinese envoy for nuclear crisis leaves NKorea

SEOUL, Oct 20 (Reuters) The special Chinese envoy who had talks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il in order to defuse tensions over the North's nuclear programme has left Pyongyang, the North's KCNA news agency said today.

Beijing's rare direct appeal to reclusive North Korea came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice played down differences with South Korea and China over UN sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its nuclear test last week, saying Washington had no wish to escalate the crisis.

''Tang Jiaxuan, state councillor who is a special envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, left here yesterday by special plane of China,'' KCNA said.

REUTERS AD RAI0723