Malaysia puts North Korea on Asia security forum agenda

North Korea will send its foreign minister to an Asian security forum in Kuala Lumpur next month, offering a chance to revive multilateral talks on dismantling its nuclear programme, Malaysia said on Saturday.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Paek Nam-sun had agreed to attend the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) meeting, which will also feature US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice and foreign ministers from China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.
"We are happy as this will allow during the ARF for them to have bilateral meetings," Syed Hamid told reporters.
"The North Koreas are very interested to go back to the six-party talks but they felt that the action on the financial sanctions have become an obstacle or impediment to them," said the minister, who visited North Korea last week to promote bilateral ties.
Christopher Hill, US envoy to the stalled six-party talks, met his Chinese counterpart on Thursday and said there could be no progress until Pyongyang agrees to return to the table.
China, an old ally of the North and host to the talks that also group South Korea, Japan and Russia, has been seen as key to persuading Pyongyang to come back to the table.
China is to host North Korea's Paek Nam-sun next week, and South Korea's president has been quoted as saying he would be willing to meet the North's leader any time for talks.
Washington has cracked down on financial institutions it suspects assist Pyongyang in money-laundering and counterfeiting. North Korea has denied involvement in such activities.
The six countries agreed in principle at talks last September that North Korea would dismantle its nuclear programmes in exchange for aid, security assurances and diplomatic ties.
But the following session in November ended without progress and Pyongyang has refused to take part ever since, citing the financial crackdown.
Malaysia is the world's largest producer of palm oil, which is used in food, consumer products like soap and cosmetics and increasingly as an alternative fuel, biodiesel.