US Gov Richardson to visit North Korea in April

Washington, Apr 4: New Mexico Gov Bill Richardson, a Democrat running for president, will lead a US delegation to North Korea this month to oversee the return of remains of American troops from the Korean War, the White House said.

Richardson and Anthony Principi, former secretary of veterans affairs, will head a bipartisan group on the April 8-11 trip at the invitation of North Korea, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, visited North Korea in the 1990s and in 2005. The trip has the blessing of the US government, which has been a leading critic of North Korea's nuclear programme.

"The United States government has invested considerable energy in persuading the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to adhere to the provisions of the Armistice Agreement that cover repatriation of remains," Perino said yesterday.

"This trip will reinforce progress already achieved in this area," she said.

The group will meet with North Korean officials in Pyongyang then travel to Panmunjom on the demilitarized zone to watch over the transfer of remains from the Korean Peoples Army to United Nations Command personnel, a US administration official said.

They will accompany the remains to Yongsan US Army Garrison for a ceremony at which the remains will be turned over to US custody, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The remains will then be flown to Hawaii, where they will be examined at the Central Identification Laboratory.

The official said the trip is not tied to the six-party talks in which North Korea agreed in February to shut down its main nuclear reactor in exchange for aid and security assurances.

Reuters

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