Kim Jong-Il personally welcomes China PM in Pyongyang.

4/10 Tass 33

PYONGYANG, October 4 (Itar-Tass) - Kim Yong-Il personally welcomed at
the plane gangway Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, who arrived in Pyongyang on
Sunday on an official visit.
On greeting the high guest, the North Korean leader invited the head
of the Chinese delegation, according to a tradition, to inspect the guard
of honour where three services of the Korean People's Army were present.
Following the ceremony, Kim and Wen marched along the red carpet to the
strains of the military orchestra, greeted by gleeful public.
Then, the motorcade headed for the capital. Several hundred thousands
of Pyongyang residents were mobilised to greet the Chinese guests.
Festively donned people stood along the entire way of the motorcade,
wavering the North Korean and Chinese flags and chanting slogans:
"Welcome!" and "Long live Korean-Chinese friendship!" This pompous meeting
clearly showed that the North Korean leadership attaches special
importance to this visit.
Wen Jiabao plans on Sunday to visit the memorial palace where the body
of Kim Il-Sung, the founder of the DPRK, lies at rest. Following the
visit, he will hold talks with his Korean counterpart Kim Yong-Il.
During the visit, the sides will sign several trade and economic
agreements as well as documents on cooperation in tourism and education.
The Xinhua news agency reported that the Chinese head of government is
accompanied during the trip by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Chairman of
the National Development and Reform Commission Zhang Ping, Commerce
Minister Chen Deming, Culture Minister Cai Wu and chief Chinese
representative at the six-party talks Wu Dawai.
According to the spokeswoman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Zhang
Qiyue, the Chinese premier will hold talks with the North Korean
leadership on developing bilateral relations and other issues of mutual
interest. The visit programme also provides for Wen Jiabao's participation
in festive events on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of establishing
diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The sides are expected to discuss at Pyongyang meetings the topic of
the nuclear programme of North Korea that refused to participate in the
six-party talks last April on denuclearising the Korean Peninsula. Experts
believe that the visit can promote Pyongyang's return to the negotiation
table.
-0-bur/kud