N Korea committed to nuclear talks

Even so, the fate of the six-country negotiation{ hangs in the balance because Pyongyang does not seem prepared to enter discussions just yet, Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell told reporters after a three-day visit to North Korea.

"The North Koreans were saying they were still committed to the six-party talks process but weren'| prepared to commit to a date," he said during a stopover in Beijing.

Talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, involving the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were scheduled before the end of September.

But the British minister said North Korean officials had cited "adverse developments" since the last round of six-party talks in Beijing in June as one reason they were reluctant to return to a new round.

"Certainly one of the factors that I think they are considering, and I discussed this issue with them in detail, is the timing of the American presidential elections," he said.

Rammell said he told his hosts that US policy is unlikely to change greatly regardless of who ins in November.

Rammell also said Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun had told him last week's explosion near the country's border with China was an intentional, non-nuclear detonation of a mountain to prepare for a hydro-electric project.

At Rammell's request, North Korea had given the green light for Britain's ambassador to Pyongyang David Slinn to lead a team on a visit to the site, with all heads of mission in Pyongyang allowed to participate.

"I do regard that movement as a limited and positive step in terms of opening up in the right direction," Rammell said.

He also welcomed North Korea's willingness to explain the cause of the blast, "because often in the past in similar circumstances North Korea hasn't given an explanation."

Slinn told AFP by telephone from Pyongyang that the North Koreans appeared to be cooperating with his plans for the trip.

"We all felt that they are cooperating with us but it will take some time," he said. "We hope that within a few days we can go."

South Korea's Defence Minister Yoon Kwang-Ung said a visit by the diplomats and new satellite images would help clear up the mystery.

"Let's wait, as North Korea has admitted there was a blast and allows foreign diplomats to get access," he said. "We should not be concerned much if it was not a nuclear test."