LOC12:55
09:55 GMT
TOKYO, Dec 9 (KUNA) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Chinese State
Councilor Dai Bingguo on Thursday reached consensus on bilateral relations and
the situation on the Korean Peninsula after candid and in-depth talks, China's
official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Dai arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday, Xinhua said, without elaborating on
details of the consensus.
Dai's meeting marked the first time that Kim has met a senior foreign
official since the North's artillery attack on a South Korean island, on
November 23, that killed four people.
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency said that the two sides
discussed issues of mutual concern and efforts to boost friendly and
cooperative relations between the two countries.
Dai also conveyed greetings from Chinese President Hu Jintao to Kim, and
the North's leader expressed thanks and asked him to convey his regards to Hu
before having a talk with Dai "in a warm and friendly atmosphere," it said.
China, North Korea's closest ally, has been under increasing pressure to do
more to curb the North's military aggression in the wake of the artillery
attack on the South Korean island. (end)
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KUNA 091255 Dec 10NNNN