North Korea's reclusive leader held a rare meeting Monday with Russia's foreign minister, who reportedly delivered a letter from President Vladimir Putin and paid "special attention" to peace efforts on the Korean peninsula.
| Foreign minister met with Powell last week, Kimmie's going to Seoul, and now high-level talks with the Russers. Yep. Something's going on behind the scenes... |
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who visited South Korea over the weekend, had been expected to discuss the international standoff over the North's nuclear weapons program. Lavrov said "special attention was devoted to the peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula," during his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, according to a statement from the Kremlin. He and Kim conducted talks in a "cordial atmosphere," the North's official KCNA news agency reported, adding that Lavrov delivered a "personal letter" to Kim from the Russian president. KCNA gave no details about the letter, but Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency reported that it touched "on problems of bilateral cooperation and regional security." |