BEIJING: The head of the UN nuclear agency arrived on Tuesday in Pyongyang hoping to win North Korea's permission for his inspectors to return to the country, four years after they were kicked out.

Mohamed ElBaradei began his two-day visit following a landmark deal agreed at six-nation talks last month that raised hopes N. Korea would finally abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

“We hope to discuss... how we can implement the agreements r4eached at the six-party talks. I hope the outcome is positive,” China's official Xinhua news agency quoted ElBaradei as saying after arriving in Pyongyang from Beijing. ElBaradei said on Monday that he wants Pyongyang to rejoin the IAEA.

The North said it would re-admit inspectors as part of a Feb 13 deal that saw it agree to close a key nuclear facility within 60 days in return for 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil.—AFP