N.Korea vows to end nuclear arms programme

MANILA, July 29 (Reuters) North Korea's foreign minister promised today to abide by his country's commitment to end its nuclear weapons programme, a Philippine diplomat said.

Pak Ui Chun, who took office in May, told Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme were progressing well but gave no details.

Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Claro Cristobal said he also gave no timetable for disabling the Yongbyon nuclear reactor at the heart of the dispute.

Pak's visit is a rare overseas trip by a senior North Korean official. Late today, the US embassy announced that Christopher Hill, Washington's point man on the nuclear dispute, would also be in the Philippine capital from Tuesday. It was not immediately known if he planned to meet Pak or his delegation.

Romulo told reporters the Philippines was willing to host discussions among the six parties involved in the nuclear talks since they would all be represented at the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting in Manila on Thursday.

The six participants include the two Koreas, the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

But Romulo pointed out the people attending the security forum were foreign ministers and not directly involved in the six-party negotiations, except for Hill.

The forum is the biggest security meeting in the region and will bring together the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 17 dialogue partners, including the United States, Japan and China.

However, US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice has cancelled her visit and is sending her deputy John Negroponte instead.

Cristobal said Pak and Romulo discussed bilateral as well as regional and international issues, including developments on the Korean peninsula, which ''did occupy a good amount of discussion between the two sides''.

''He said that his country was committed to the agreement signed in February to move forward the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,'' Cristobal told reporters.

''Minister Pak did a briefing to the Philippine side on developments in the six-party talks. Minister Pak said that the six-party talks had been producing good progress.'' Pyongyang shut down its Yongbyon reactor under a February agreement reached during the six-party talks on its nuclear weapons programme. The latest round of nuclear talks ended this month without a target date for disabling the facilities.

On Monday, Pak was to meet with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and tour business and cultural sites in Manila.

REUTERS JT BST2147