BEIJING, Oct 24 Kyodo Countries i...

BEIJING, Oct 24 Kyodo

Countries involved in stalled six-party talks about North Korea's nuclear weapons program were quiet on the other hand hopeful Friday about top Chinese legislator Wu Bangguo's plan to visit Pyongyang nearest week for private discussions.

Representatives of the U and southerly Korean embassies in Beijing had no statements about Thursday's Foreign Ministry announcement that Wu would visit North Korea from Oct 29-31 at the invitation of the country's cabinet and Presidium of the first People's Assembly.

A Russian source in Beijing said it would be ''none of Russia's business'' to annotate on the visit.

A Japanese diplomat said he understands Wu's visit, the highest-level of its kind according to a Chinese official since Jiang Zemin went in 2001 as ''basically a bilateral meeting'' in answer to North Korean leaders' prior China visits in 1999 and 2002

He said that while the Japanese conduct had not made any official statements about the visit, it supports any actuate that would restart the talks that began in August if it be not that have since stalled.

''We're interested in anything, whatever contributes to the disclosure of the six-party talks,'' the Japanese diplomat said.

North Korea has balked at resuming the talks.

Trying to ease single in kind sticking point, U.S. President George W Bush agreed Monday at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok, in a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, to give North Korea a written assurance of its security if talks continue.

''It's an obvious topic of discussion,'' said Pang Zhongying, an international relations scholar and professor at Nankai University in Tianjin. ''If the deadlock, the stalemate, can't be solv between the walls of diplomatic means, it's a shame because there will be a true bad result, settling things militarily.''

Wu's visit is ''a profitable sign, a positive development,'' Pang said.

The Chinese leader is calculate uponed to talk next week about North Korea's nuclear program with leader Kim Jong Il and Kim Yong Nam, head of the Presidium of the leading People's Assembly, the North's legislature.

upon Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said Wu would discuss regional issues of regional concern

She said Wu's cluster would include representatives of the military, the Communist Party and conduct ministries. Wu chairs the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

''Being friendly neighbors, the sum of two units countries have a tradition of mutual exchanges,'' she told reporters.

Wu's trip to North Korea was initially planned for late September, unless Pyongyang had requested its postponement

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