Carter begins North Korean trip over denuclearization

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Former US President Jimmy Carter and three elder statesmen today began their three-day visit to North Korea amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and revive stalled international talks on the North's nuclear weapons programs.

Carter arrived in Pyongyang via a chartered plane in the morning along with three former European heads of state — former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, former Norwegian Prime Minister Dr Gro Brundtland and former Irish President Mary Robinson.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Carter's arrival in a brief dispatch, but did not elaborate on his schedule in Pyongyang.

The former leaders said in a statement in Beijing on Monday that they "aim to see how we may be of assistance in reducing tensions and help the parties address key issues including denuclearization."

Carter also expressed hope for a meeting with Kim and his heir-apparent son, Kim Jong-un, though he said he has yet to hear from North Korea whether such a meeting has been arranged.

The KCNA reported early on Tuesday that the senior Kim attended an art performance in Pyongyang along with his son and other top officials, without elaborating on when the performance was held.

Still, the Pyongyang-datelined report indicates that the two Kims could be staying in the North Korean capital, a development that may lead to Carter's meeting with the reclusive North Korean leader.

Carter has often acted as a diplomatic troubleshooter. In 1994, he met with then-North Korean leader Kim Il-sung, the late father of the current leader, and brokered a US-North Korea nuclear deal that eventually unraveled.

Last August, Carter secured the freedom of a detained American during his trip to Pyongyang, though he could not meet with Kim Jong-il as the North Korean leader had traveled to China for a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

It's not clear whether Carter can bring home another detained American during this week's trip. Carter has said his group does not have immediate plans for a meeting with North Korean authorities on the possible release of Jun Young-su, a detained American.

Jun is the fifth American detained by North Korea in 2011. The North has released four Americans.

The trip comes amid a flurry of diplomatic moves by regional powers to revive the six-party talks on the North's nuclear programs.

Top Chinese nuclear envoy Wu Dawei arrived in Seoul on Tuesday for talks with his South Korean counterpart on ways to resume the six-party nuclear talks involving the two Koreas, the US, China, Japan and Russia.