TOKYO, Feb 21: North Korea may be willing to address the touchy topic of its alleged uranium enrichment programme at multilateral talks on its nuclear arms programme next week, Kyodo news agency reported on Saturday.

The United States has insisted that North Korea put the alleged uranium enrichment programme on the table along with its plutonium-based programme, when the two countries join South Korea, China, Japan and Russia in talks beginning in Beijing on Wednesday.

Kyodo, quoting sources in Beijing "close to the six-way talks", said North Korea's chief negotiator, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan, had showed understanding of "the need to eliminate suspicions" by having the talks broach the topic.

During a Feb 7-10 visit, Mr Kim also told Chinese officials that North Korea might propose allowing inspections of its nuclear facilities to verify a possible freeze of its weapons programme, Kyodo said.

Pyongyang's stance appears to be aimed at helping win promises of energy aid for its struggling economy, the Japanese news agency added.

North Korea has denied having a programme for enriching uranium to make bomb fuel. The United States says Pyongyang officials acknowledged that covert programme in Oct 2002 when confronted with evidence presented by US officials, and only later denied it in the face of international criticism.

North Korea proposed last month a freeze in its nuclear activities in exchange for aid and diplomatic concessions from its neighbours and the United States as a first step towards a resolution of the 16-month-old dispute.-Reuters