SEOUL Jan. 18 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATIN...

SEOUL Jan. 18 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

Russian President Vladimir Putin's special plenipotentiary to North Korea forward Saturday held talks in Pyongyang with North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok Ju forward the diplomatic standoff over North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons program, the (North) Korean Central moderns Agency reported.

Alexander Losyukov Russia's proxy foreign minister in charge of Asian and Pacific affairs, and Kang also discussed the issue of boosting bilateral ties and ''issues of regard related to the international situation,'' the report said.

Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov and North Korean officials also were near at the meeting.

Russia's Itar-Tass moderns agency reported that the talks masked a package deal propos by the agency of Russia for settlement of the nuclear crisis.

The package calls for ensuring the nuclear-free status of the Korean peninsula and strict compliance with all obligations envisaged in international agreements, including a 1994 agreement between the United States and North Korea, according to the report.

The package deal also surmises constructive and multilateral dialogue between the interested sides with guarantees of security of North Korea rely uponed as one of the chief consequence s and presupposes resumption of humanitarian and economic programs, Tass said.

Losyukov arrived in Pyongyang earlier Saturday from Beijing, where he held talks Friday in succession the North Korea issue with Chinese officials.

Losyukov may occupy talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang and deliver a personal literal meaning from Putin.

He is look forward toed to tell officials in Pyongyang that Russia believes the international community should begin again food and oil supplies to the impoverished North.

North Korea's incites last month to deactivate monitoring equipment at its nuclear facilities and eject International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors risk off alarm bells around the world. It subsequently announced its withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

North Korea says it is no longer terminate by a 1994 agreement with the United States in subordination to which it was to give up its nuclear program in exchange for construction of pair light-water nuclear reactors provided by way of an international consortium, along with a give of heavy fuel oil in the interim.

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