EU troika considers North Korea mission-Germany

BERLIN, Feb 15 (Reuters) The European Union's so-called ''troika'' is considering a visit to North Korea to show support for the outcome of the six-party talks and Pyongyang's decision to abandon its nuclear arms programme, Germany said today.

''The (EU) is considering sending an EU troika mission to the DPRK (North Korea) as proof of the great significance of positive political developments on the Korean peninsula,'' Germany, which holds the EU presidency, said in a statement.

North and South Korea have agreed to restart high-level talks, paving the way for food aid to resume to the communist state after this week's breakthrough energy-for-nuclear disarmament deal with Pyongyang.

On Tuesday, North Korea agreed with the United States, Russia, South Korea, China and Japan at a six-country meeting in Beijing that it would dismantle its nuclear weapons programme.

The EU troika is composed of Germany, next EU president Portugal, and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana with the European Commission, according to the EU presidency Web site.

REUTERS SP KP1600