N. K. No. 2 meets with French presidential envoy

North Korea`s nominal No. 2 met with a visiting French presidential envoy in Pyongyang on Thursday, state media said, in what may be a prelude to talks with the country`s top leader Kim Jong-il, according to the Yonhap News.



Jack Lang, the special envoy for French President Nicholas Sarkozy on North Korea, previously said he was carrying a "special message" from the president and hoped to meet with Kim during his five-day visit.



With the envoy`s departure set for Friday, it remains to be seen whether or when the reclusive North Korean leader will meet with Lang.



The Korean Central Broadcasting Station, an official radio channel, said Lang held conversation with Kim Yong-nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People`s Assembly who serves as the ceremonial head of state, in the parliament hall. Their talks were held "in a friendly atmosphere," the report said, without elaborating.



Lang, a French Socialist Party member and former culture minister, was appointed to the post last month to seek ways of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries. France is one of the few countries in the European Union that does not have diplomatic ties with North Korea.



Lang is also expected to gauge a possible role by France in a regional forum over the North`s nuclear program and propose aid from the EU on condition of progress in the atomic dispute.