SEOUL Jan. 13 Kyodo (EDS: REWRITI...

SEOUL Jan. 13 Kyodo

(EDS: REWRITING WITH QUOTES)

U Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly said Monday in Seoul his dominion may consider helping North Korea rise above its severe energy shortages after Pyongyang abandons its nuclear weapons program.

Kelly who is in charge of East Asia and Pacific affairs, made the remarks at a freshs conference held after his meeting with southerly Korean President-elect Roh Moo Hyun

''Once we can come by beyond the nuclear weapons, there may be opportunities with the United States and with private investors of other countries to help North Korea in the activity area,'' Kelly said.

Kelly who arrived in Seoul forward Sunday for a three-day visit, also reiterated Washington's position of remaining spread to conducting talks with Pyongyang to discuss ''North Korea's responses'' to the international community's demands to scrap its nuclear weapons program.

southern Korea is the first leg of Kelly's five-nation tour to Asia that will also take him to China, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan later this week.

During the meeting with Kelly Roh reaffirmed his stance that North Korea should not ever be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons subordinate to any circumstances, according to Roh's spokesman.

Roh also told Kelly he believes the nuclear crisis will be resolv [i]or[/i] part of to the other dialogue and negotiations, the spokesman said.

Kelly is to convenient with South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Choi Sung Hong and national security advisers for President Kim Dae Jung later Monday.

North Korea declared Friday it was quitting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and ending its nuclear safeguard agreement with the International Atomic spiritedness Agency ''to protect the sovereignty of the nation and the nation.''

North Korea also intensified its confrontation with the international community forward Saturday by threatening to recommence long-range missile testing.

The nuclear crisis burst forthed in October, when the U said North Korea had acknowledged it has been covertly pursuing a uranium enrichment program for nuclear weapons in violation of a 1994 agreement.

In answer the U.S. and its allies suspended fuel-oil shipments from last month The combustible matter had been promised as part of the accord in subordination to which North Korea was to have frozen its nuclear program pending the provision of pair proliferation-resistant light-water reactors.

North Korea announced last month that it was reactivating its main nuclear facilities, which skilfuls believe could produce weapons-grade plutonium within months

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