Beijing, Feb 12, 2010, SPA -- North Korea officials are "not eager" to resumesix-nation talks on ending their nation's nuclear weapons programme,though they have not ruled out a return to dialogue, dpa quoted a UN envoy as saying today. "They were certainly not eager to return to the six-party talks,"Lynn Pascoe, the UN under-secretary general for political affairs,said after four days of talks in North Korea. Pascoe, the first high-ranking UN official to visit North Koreasince 2004, said his trip was partly for "re-engagement." "I think in that sense we made a good beginning," he said, addingthat the talks were "quite frank and open." South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted sources in Beijing assaying that North Korea's top nuclear negotiator, who was in Beijingfor talks with Chinese officials on Friday, plans to visit the UnitedStates in March. The agency reported that dates were agreed for Kim Kye Gwan's USvisit, which some analysts had believed could herald the reopening ofthe six-party talks, on hold since North Korea walked out in April. Pascoe said the North Korean officials in Pyongyang "professedgreat interest in improving relations with their neighbours and withthe United States". He declined to explain why he said the North Koreans were noteager to return to the six-party talks, but he said they againexpressed their dissatisfaction with international sanctions linkedto the nuclear programme. Pyongyang walked out of the six-party talks in April, insistingthat UN sanctions be lifted as a condition to returning to thenegotiating table. The talks have also involved the United States,South Korea, China, Japan and Russia. "They said they didn't like the sanctions and they'd like to getrid of the sanctions," Pascoe, who is also a special envoy of UNSecretary General Ban Ki-moon, told reporters. He said the United Nations was also concerned that North Korea wasonly receiving about one-quarter of the humanitarian aid it requires,mostly in the form of food.   Pascoe met Kim Yong Nam, the official number two in the KoreanWorkers' Party, on Thursday, reading him a "personal message" fromBan.   On Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told visiting Chineseofficials that his country remained committed to denuclearizationthrough the six-nation talks. It was not clear if Pascoe's comments reflected any change in thatposition. Wang Jiarui, a top diplomat from China's ruling Communist Party,gave Kim a letter from President Hu Jintao, saying that China wantedthe two nations to "make joint efforts ... to maintain peace andstability on the Korean peninsula," Chinese state media said.--SPA 18:44 LOCAL TIME 15:44 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/747641