US envoy on North Korea mission

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The American envoy for North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, has been consulting the South Korean government before he travels to North Korea.

His visit to Pyongyang - the first high-level contact between the Obama administration and the North Koreans - will begin on Tuesday.

The US is trying to bring North Korea back to six-party talks on its nuclear programme that it left in April.

North Korea has been pushing for direct negotiations with the US.

The US has said it would hold bilateral talks only as a precursor to a return to six-party negotiations.

NUCLEAR CRISIS Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear testFeb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in exchange for fuel aidJune 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactorJune 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assetsOct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which sponsor terrorismDec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme, after a US decision to suspend energy aidApril 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a communications satellite25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test5 August 2009 - Former US President Bill Clinton visits to help secure the release of two detained US journalists6 October 2009 - North Korea tells China it may be willing to return to six-party talks <a class="" href="/2/hi/asia-pacific/8292201.stm">Scepticism over N Korea talks offer</a>

Analysts have dampened expectations ahead of Mr Bosworth's visit, suggesting the most that can be hoped for is a general promise that the North would return to talks sometime.

China, which hosts the talks, sent its defence minister, Liang Guanglie, to North Korea two weeks ago.

The negotiations, which have proceeded in fits and starts since 2003, also include Japan and Russia.

China's premier, Wen Jiabao, recently visited Pyongyang and reported that the North was "willing to attend multilateral talks, including the six-party talks, depending on the progress in its talks with the United States".

US President Barack Obama was recently in Beijing, South Korea and Japan where he and his hosts all affirmed the importance of getting North Korea back into talks.

Mr Bosworth's first talks with North Korea are expected to last three days. He will then make stops in Seoul, Beijing, Tokyo and Moscow before returning to the US.