NEW YORK, UN. Oct 29 (Interfax) - North Korea's recent actions may show the country's readiness for more effective cooperation with the United Nations on human rights, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in North Korea Marzuki Darusman has said.
"I welcome these signs of increased engagement by the DPRK with the Human Rights Council and international community, and I hope they will bear fruit," Darusman said, mentioning he had held his first-ever meeting with North Korean officials on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
He also welcomed North Korea's "active engagement" in the second review of the human rights situation in the country and acknowledged that North Korean authorities had accepted 113 recommendations out of the 268 made.
Darusman's meeting with North Korean officials on Monday was the first in 10 years. "More progress has taken place in the last three months than in the last 10 years in terms of the openness and the readiness of the North Koreans to come out of their shell," Darusman said.
North Korean officials in particular proposed to send an invitation to visit Pyongyang.
At the same time, North Korean officials objected to a planned UN resolution requesting the North Korean human rights dossier be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Italy, on behalf of the European Union and Japan, will present the draft resolution to the UN General Assembly later this week. The assembly will vote on the draft resolution in November.