Israel is optimistic about new peace talks with the Palestinians despite deadly violence in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is prepared for a “historic compromise” with Israel’s Arab neighbors.

Briefing his Cabinet on last week’s launch of direct peace talks with the Palestinians in Washington, Mr. Netanyahu said he believes the Arab world is ready for peace.

He said a creative, new approach is needed to resolve the core issues of the conflict that have caused the failure of negotiations in the past. Those issues include the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements and the future borders of a Palestinian state.

Mr. Netanyahu called for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to continue with him on the path toward peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.

But Mr. Abbas only rules the West Bank, and one of the key obstacles to the negotiations is the Palestinian militant group Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas killed four Israeli settlers in a roadside ambush last week to express opposition to the peace talks, and on Saturday it fired a rocket at Israel.

Israel responded with air strikes on three Gaza smuggling tunnels. At least two Palestinians were killed.

Many observers say that as long as the West Bank and Gaza remain divided, the creation of a Palestinian state will
be impossible.

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Israel is optimistic about new peace talks with the Palestinians despite deadly violence in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is prepared for a “historic compromise” with Israel’s Arab neighbors.

Briefing his Cabinet on last week’s launch of direct peace talks with the Palestinians in Washington, Mr. Netanyahu said he believes the Arab world is ready for peace.

He said a creative, new approach is needed to resolve the core issues of the conflict that have caused the failure of negotiations in the past. Those issues include the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements and the future borders of a Palestinian state.

Mr. Netanyahu called for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to continue with him on the path toward peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.

But Mr. Abbas only rules the West Bank, and one of the key obstacles to the negotiations is the Palestinian militant group Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas killed four Israeli settlers in a roadside ambush last week to express opposition to the peace talks, and on Saturday it fired a rocket at Israel.

Israel responded with air strikes on three Gaza smuggling tunnels. At least two Palestinians were killed.

Many observers say that as long as the West Bank and Gaza remain divided, the creation of a Palestinian state will
be impossible.

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Israel is optimistic about new peace talks with the Palestinians despite deadly violence in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is prepared for a “historic compromise” with Israel’s Arab neighbors.

Briefing his Cabinet on last week’s launch of direct peace talks with the Palestinians in Washington, Mr. Netanyahu said he believes the Arab world is ready for peace.

He said a creative, new approach is needed to resolve the core issues of the conflict that have caused the failure of negotiations in the past. Those issues include the status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, Jewish settlements and the future borders of a Palestinian state.

Mr. Netanyahu called for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to continue with him on the path toward peace, security and prosperity for Israelis and Palestinians.

But Mr. Abbas only rules the West Bank, and one of the key obstacles to the negotiations is the Palestinian militant group Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas killed four Israeli settlers in a roadside ambush last week to express opposition to the peace talks, and on Saturday it fired a rocket at Israel.

Israel responded with air strikes on three Gaza smuggling tunnels. At least two Palestinians were killed.

Many observers say that as long as the West Bank and Gaza remain divided, the creation of a Palestinian state will
be impossible.

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Officials say the attacker drove his vehicle into the police station Monday in Laki Marwat in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Police say the police station and at least one nearby building were damaged in the blast.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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Officials say the attacker drove his vehicle into the police station Monday in Laki Marwat in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Police say the police station and at least one nearby building were damaged in the blast.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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Officials say the attacker drove his vehicle into the police station Monday in Laki Marwat in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Police say the police station and at least one nearby building were damaged in the blast.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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Christchurch awoke Sunday to another grim day as shell-shocked residents assess the damage inflicted by one of the country’s most powerful earthquakes.

Mayor Bob Parker is urging residents to stay indoors.

This is not a good time to go out, as curious as you may be, and have a look around if it means driving out onto the streets because we need to keep them free for emergency services,” Parker advised. “Use common sense; emergency services are flat out at the moment. The assessment is underway. Take sensible precautions, but don’t go out sightseeing. Check on your neighbors. Do the things that communities do so well at times like this.”

Authorities say it is a miracle no one was killed after disaster struck Saturday before dawn, when most people were still asleep.  A small number of serious injuries have been reported.

Watch Footage from Aftermath of the New Zealand Quake

Roads and bridges have been left in ruins and troops are expected to be deployed to help in the emergency effort.  Power and water supplies have also been disrupted.  Authorities say the clean-up will be long and expensive.  The damage bill is estimated at about $1.5 billion.

A night time curfew was imposed in parts of Christchurch, while schools offered emergency shelter to those left homeless.

A series of aftershocks have unnerved a wary population.

New Zealand sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast area of unpredictable seismic activity.  The South pacific country of more than 4 million people experiences more than 14,000 earthquakes each year.  Most are minor but occasionally nature displays its destructive power.

This weekend’s earthquake is among the 10 strongest the country has ever recorded.

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Christchurch awoke Sunday to another grim day as shell-shocked residents assess the damage inflicted by one of the country’s most powerful earthquakes.

Mayor Bob Parker is urging residents to stay indoors.

This is not a good time to go out, as curious as you may be, and have a look around if it means driving out onto the streets because we need to keep them free for emergency services,” Parker advised. “Use common sense; emergency services are flat out at the moment. The assessment is underway. Take sensible precautions, but don’t go out sightseeing. Check on your neighbors. Do the things that communities do so well at times like this.”

Authorities say it is a miracle no one was killed after disaster struck Saturday before dawn, when most people were still asleep.  A small number of serious injuries have been reported.

Watch Footage from Aftermath of the New Zealand Quake

Roads and bridges have been left in ruins and troops are expected to be deployed to help in the emergency effort.  Power and water supplies have also been disrupted.  Authorities say the clean-up will be long and expensive.  The damage bill is estimated at about $1.5 billion.

A night time curfew was imposed in parts of Christchurch, while schools offered emergency shelter to those left homeless.

A series of aftershocks have unnerved a wary population.

New Zealand sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast area of unpredictable seismic activity.  The South pacific country of more than 4 million people experiences more than 14,000 earthquakes each year.  Most are minor but occasionally nature displays its destructive power.

This weekend’s earthquake is among the 10 strongest the country has ever recorded.

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Christchurch awoke Sunday to another grim day as shell-shocked residents assess the damage inflicted by one of the country’s most powerful earthquakes.

Mayor Bob Parker is urging residents to stay indoors.

This is not a good time to go out, as curious as you may be, and have a look around if it means driving out onto the streets because we need to keep them free for emergency services,” Parker advised. “Use common sense; emergency services are flat out at the moment. The assessment is underway. Take sensible precautions, but don’t go out sightseeing. Check on your neighbors. Do the things that communities do so well at times like this.”

Authorities say it is a miracle no one was killed after disaster struck Saturday before dawn, when most people were still asleep.  A small number of serious injuries have been reported.

Watch Footage from Aftermath of the New Zealand Quake

Roads and bridges have been left in ruins and troops are expected to be deployed to help in the emergency effort.  Power and water supplies have also been disrupted.  Authorities say the clean-up will be long and expensive.  The damage bill is estimated at about $1.5 billion.

A night time curfew was imposed in parts of Christchurch, while schools offered emergency shelter to those left homeless.

A series of aftershocks have unnerved a wary population.

New Zealand sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a vast area of unpredictable seismic activity.  The South pacific country of more than 4 million people experiences more than 14,000 earthquakes each year.  Most are minor but occasionally nature displays its destructive power.

This weekend’s earthquake is among the 10 strongest the country has ever recorded.

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A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told reporters that the balloting is just for the benefit of the foreigners who he says are occupying the country. And he urged the Afghan people to boycott the election.

Some 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament.

The Taliban’s threat to derail the election follows plans by the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to open peace talks.

On Saturday, Mr. Karzai called the creation of the High Peace Council a “significant step” in efforts to end a war that is nearing the end of its ninth year. The council is to include former members of the Taliban, leading Afghan civilians and women.

The council’s formation was approved by Afghan leaders and tribal elders in June. But so far the Taliban has shown little interest in any peace negotiations.

And Taliban attacks continue. NATO says two coalition soldiers have been killed in insurgent violence in southern Afghanistan.

One of them belonged to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The second was not identified.

A Japanese journalist, freelancer Kosuke Tsuneoka, who was reportedly detained by insurgents in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz several months ago has been released and is now at the Japanese embassy in Kabul. He is said to be in good condition.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told reporters that the balloting is just for the benefit of the foreigners who he says are occupying the country. And he urged the Afghan people to boycott the election.

Some 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament.

The Taliban’s threat to derail the election follows plans by the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to open peace talks.

On Saturday, Mr. Karzai called the creation of the High Peace Council a “significant step” in efforts to end a war that is nearing the end of its ninth year. The council is to include former members of the Taliban, leading Afghan civilians and women.

The council’s formation was approved by Afghan leaders and tribal elders in June. But so far the Taliban has shown little interest in any peace negotiations.

And Taliban attacks continue. NATO says two coalition soldiers have been killed in insurgent violence in southern Afghanistan.

One of them belonged to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The second was not identified.

A Japanese journalist, freelancer Kosuke Tsuneoka, who was reportedly detained by insurgents in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz several months ago has been released and is now at the Japanese embassy in Kabul. He is said to be in good condition.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, told reporters that the balloting is just for the benefit of the foreigners who he says are occupying the country. And he urged the Afghan people to boycott the election.

Some 2,500 candidates are competing for 249 seats in Afghanistan’s lower house of parliament.

The Taliban’s threat to derail the election follows plans by the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to open peace talks.

On Saturday, Mr. Karzai called the creation of the High Peace Council a “significant step” in efforts to end a war that is nearing the end of its ninth year. The council is to include former members of the Taliban, leading Afghan civilians and women.

The council’s formation was approved by Afghan leaders and tribal elders in June. But so far the Taliban has shown little interest in any peace negotiations.

And Taliban attacks continue. NATO says two coalition soldiers have been killed in insurgent violence in southern Afghanistan.

One of them belonged to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The second was not identified.

A Japanese journalist, freelancer Kosuke Tsuneoka, who was reportedly detained by insurgents in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz several months ago has been released and is now at the Japanese embassy in Kabul. He is said to be in good condition.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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The problem is vast. The United Nations says more than 3 million people have yet to receive desperately needed food. The Pakistani government says nearly a million have received no help of any kind.

Not far from the city of Multan northeast of Islamabad, Abdul Rehman and his family now live under a tree on a floodwater created island where his house once stood. He says the government is not supporting them. He says some people are getting food from some social organizations, but the government is providing nothing. Others in the area say the government is providing some aid, but only to those who support the administration.

Malik Ahmed Hunajara, the local representative to the provincial assembly, says that is not the case. “There is a huge population that is affected and the government cannot give to everybody,” said Hunajara.

In other areas of the country, although local and international aid organizations try to meet the needs of the people, Islamist groups, some said to have ties with extremists are stepping in to fill the void.

Hijrat Khan is a relief official for Falah-e Insaniat, which is believed to be a front for Laskar- e-Taiba, an organization that has been banned by the Pakistani government says “We have to provide food for people in far areas where no one is going.”

Khan says his group has provided cooked meals to one and a half million flood victims, treated more than 300 thousand patients and has given rations to 85,000 families.

Another Falah-e-Insaniat member, Mohammed Ziad, says people are losing trust in the government, which he says doesn’t know anything about people at a grassroots level and has no road map to know how to approach the people.

The United Nations says part of the problem is simply the scale of the crisis. A spokesperson says the floods left some 8 million people dependent on aid, and that number keeps growing as more areas are affected.

She adds, “This seems to be a never ending disaster.”

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In a national address from the White House, the president says the “historic moment” comes at a time of great uncertainty for many Americans, after nearly a decade of war and a “long and painful” recession.

He says the United States intends to “sustain and strenghten” its leadership in this young century.

He says much has changed since then-President George W. Bush announced the start of the war in March 2003, saying the war to disarm a state became a fight against an insurgency.  

He says terrorism and sectarian fighting threatened to tear apart Iraq.  He says thousands of Americans died in the war and tens of thousands have been wounded.

In the White House Oval Office address, President Obama declared an end to the American combat mission in Iraq and that Iraqis now have the lead responsibility for the security of their country.  

In doing so, the president noted that the conflict in Iraq has been one of America’s longest wars.  But he said at every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve.  

The president said that as commander-in-chief, he is incredibly proud of their service and that like all Americans, he is awed by their sacrifice, and the sacrifices of their families.

He said the Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given and defeated a regime that had terrorized its people.  The said U.S. forces, together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future.  President Obama noted they shifted tactics to protect Iraqis, trained Iraqi security forces and took out terrorist leaders.

He said Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.

Mr. Obama says he is following through on his pledge as a candidate to end the war in Iraq.

He says his administration has removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq, closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis and have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.

He says that even though Iraq continues to have terrorist attacks, security incidents have been near the lowest on record since the war began.  He says Iraqi forces have “taken the fight to al-Qaida,” removing much of its leadership in Iraqi-led operations.

He encouraged Iraq’s leaders to “move forward with a sense of urgency” in forming an inclusive government.  Iraq has been in a political deadlock, after general elections in March produced no clear winner.

The president said that going forward, a transitional force of U.S. troops will remain in Iraq with a different mission: advising and assisting Iraq’s Security Forces; supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counter-terrorism missions; and protecting American civilians.

He said that consistent with a U.S. agreement with the Iraqi government, all U.S. troops will leave Iraq by the end of next year.

Mr. Obama said that as the U.S. military draws down, America’s dedicated civilians -diplomats, aid workers, and advisors -are moving into the lead to support Iraq as it strengthens its government, resolves political disputes, resettles those displaced by war, and builds ties with the region and the world.  He said that is a message that Vice President Biden is delivering to the Iraqi people through his visit there.

The president said this new approach reflects our long-term partnership with Iraq – one based upon mutual interests, and mutual respect. He said violence will not end with the U. S. combat mission.  He said extremists will continue to set off bombs, attack Iraqi civilians and try to spark sectarian strife.  But he said ultimately, these terrorists will fail to achieve their goals.

The president said Iraqis are a proud people, saying they have rejected sectarian war, and have no interest in endless destruction. He said only Iraqis can resolve their differences and police their streets and that only Iraqis can build a democracy within their borders.  He said America will provide support for the Iraqi people as both a friend and a partner.
The president says ending the war is not only in Iraq’s interest, it is in the interest of the United States as well.

He says the United States has paid a “huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people.”  Mr. Obama said the United States has met its responsibility in what he called a “remarkable chapter” in the history of the United States and Iraq.

He says it is now time to move forward.

The president said he spoke to former President George W. Bush earlier Tuesday, saying it is well known that he disagreed with the former president on the decision to go to war.

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(Released by the White House)

“But this milestone should serve as a reminder to all Americans that our future is ours to shape if we move forward with confidence and commitment. It should also serve as a message to the world that the United States of America intends to sustain and strengthen our leadership in this young century.”

***

“At every turn, America’s men and women in uniform have served with courage and resolve. As Commander-in-Chief, I am proud of their service. Like all Americans, I am awed by their sacrifice, and by the sacrifices of their families.”

***

“Tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over, and the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country. This was my pledge to the American people as a candidate for this office.  Last February, I announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of Iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen Iraq’s Security Forces and support its government and people. That is what we have done. We have removed nearly 100,000 U.S. troops from Iraq. We have closed or transferred hundreds of bases to the Iraqis. And we have moved millions of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.”

***

“Ending this war is not only in Iraq’s interest – it is in our own. The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people. We have sent our young men and women to make enormous sacrifices in Iraq, and spent vast resources abroad at a time of tight budgets at home. We have persevered because of a belief we share with the Iraqi people – a belief that out of the ashes of war, a new beginning could be born in this cradle of civilization. Through this remarkable chapter in the history of the United States and Iraq, we have met our responsibility. Now, it is time to turn the page.”

***

“Today, our most urgent task is to restore our economy, and put the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs back to work. To strengthen our middle class, we must give all our children the education they deserve, and all our workers the skills that they need to compete in a global economy.  We must jumpstart industries that create jobs, and end our dependence on foreign oil. We must unleash the innovation that allows new products to roll off our assembly lines, and nurture the ideas that spring from our entrepreneurs.  This will be difficult. But in the days to come, it must be our central mission as a people, and my central responsibility as President.”

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Secretary Gates called Wednesday’s formal handover in Baghdad the moment both countries have been working for and hoping for, a moment he said was “made possible by the dramatic security gains of the last three-and-a-half years.”

He said attacks are at their lowest levels since the beginning of the war in 2003, in spite of the recent series of incidents. He also noted that U.S. forces have not had to call in an air strike anywhere in Iraq for more than six months, and he said the remnants of al-Qaida’s Iraqi organization have been cut off from its commanders abroad.

Still, he warned, all is not well in Iraq. He noted the ongoing political stalemate and lingering sectarian tensions, and he said al-Qaida in Iraq is “beaten, but not gone.”

“This is not a time for premature victory parades or self-congratulation, even as we reflect with pride on what our troops and their Iraqi partners have accomplished. We still have a job to do and responsibilities there,” said the defense secretary.

Gates said the U.S. military will continue to work with the Iraqi Army and police forces, to train the Iraqi Navy and Air Force, and to help with operations against terrorist groups. He noted that so far 4,427 U.S. troops have been killed in the war, and more than 34,000 have been injured, some of them very seriously.

The secretary also said the Iraq War diverted American attention and resources from Afghanistan, where he said U.S. troops defeated the Taliban in 2001 and 2002, only to see the group reestablish itself and escalate its insurgency. That is a problem the United States is able to address only now, with a decreased troop commitment in Iraq.

The last of the additional forces President Barack Obama ordered to Afghanistan are just arriving, and the next 12 months will be critical in the effort to demonstrate the same type of counterinsurgency approach can work there that worked in Iraq. The troop increase, designed to fight the insurgents and enable engagement with local people in key areas, brings the American total close to 100,000, with nearly 50,000 more from other allied countries. Secretary Gates noted that is more than three times as many as when he took office not quite four years ago.

Still, he he said a “tough, hard campaign” lies ahead in Afghanistan, “with its share of setbacks and heartbreak.” “Success there is not inevitable. But with the right strategy and the willingness to see it through, it is possible. And it is worth the fight,” he said.

Gates called victory in Afghanistan “essential to the safety of the United States.” He said it would deliver “a strategic defeat to al-Qaida,” roll back Taliban gains, and build Afghanistan’s ability to defend itself and prevent the re-establishment of terrorist safe havens like the one the Taliban provided to al-Qaida to plan and launch the September 11th attacks on the United States in 2001.

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Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says the gunman opened fire on the vehicle near the city of Hebron.

“An attack was carried out against a number of Israelis [who] were driving in a vehicle.  Unfortunately, as a result of the shots that were fired, all four of them sustained critical injuries, the result being four Israelis killed — two of them men, two of them women,” said Rosenfeld.

Hebron has been a frequent flashpoint in the conflict between Palestinian residents and tens of thousands of Jewish settlers who live inside the city and in surrounding settlements.

Police say the Israeli victims were residents of a nearby settlement.

The shooting occurred as Israeli and Palestinian leaders prepared to resume U.S.-brokered direct negotiations in Washington.  The talks have drawn opposition from within the Palestinian Authority led by President Mahmoud Abbas.  Some Palestinians have demanded that the Palestinian leader not attend the talks unless Israel guarantees that it will stop the building of Jewish settlements in the Israeli occupied West Bank.

Israel has refused to commit to a permanent construction freeze, saying that it wants to negotiate without preconditions.

Mr. Abbas has come under harsh criticism from some Palestinians over his government’s security cooperation arrangements with Israel.

Within hours of the shooting, Hamas’ military unit claimed responsibility for the attack.

Reporting for VOA, journalist Mohammed Dawwas in Gaza says Hamas’ leaders called on hundreds of Palestinians to a rally late Tuesday.

“This rally is in the north of the Gaza Strip, in the Jabalya refugee camp, the biggest, most crowded refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.  People are out celebrating the killing of four settlers in the West Bank,” Dawwas said.

Hamas condemns all negotiations with Israel and has strongly criticized Mr. Abbas’ decision to attend the talks.

Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak issued a statement promising a harsh response for the killings near Hebron, saying that Israel will “exact a price” from those responsible.  He said the attack was aimed at sabotaging the peace talks.

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NATO said four U.S. soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb in the east, while the fifth died in a gunfight with insurgents in the south.

On Monday, seven American troops and an Estonian soldier were killed in bomb attacks in the south, while another seven U.S. soldiers died in separate attacks on Saturday and Sunday.

U.S. President Barack Obama warned Tuesday of a “tough fight” ahead in Afghanistan, with more casualties likely.   

The head of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, acknowledged Tuesday that the Taliban are expanding their influence, even as coalition forces close in on their southern strongholds.

Petraeus said the last of the additional 30,000 troops Mr. Obama ordered to Afghanistan will arrive in the next few days, bringing the number of U.S. and NATO forces in the country to nearly 150,000.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Tuesday voiced support for Afghan forces to begin taking charge of the country’s security in 2011.  He said during an official visit to his native Denmark the issue would be taken up during the upcoming NATO summit in November.

In violence Tuesday, gunmen on a motorcycle killed three Afghan Supreme Court employees traveling on a bus near Kabul. At least 12 others were wounded.

And British aid group Oxfam said it was temporarily suspending operations in northern Badakhshan province after a roadside bomb killed two of its Afghan staff workers and a volunteer Monday.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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South Korean government officials said Thursday North Korea’s leader apparently headed by train for the Chinese border. Officials in Seoul spoke on the condition that they not be identified.

The visit would be Kim Jong Il’s second to China this year. He rarely travels outside North Korea.

Some news reports say that Mr. Kim’s son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, is traveling with him.

Baek Seung-joo is a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in Seoul. He says the visit likely is tied to next month’s meeting of the North Korean Workers’ Party – the first in 40 years.

Baek says the senior Kim probably is informing the Chinese leadership of planned changes within the North Korean power structure.

Other North Korea analysts concur that the trip may be intended to clinch Beijing’s support for a third generation of the Kim family leading the country. But there are doubts among some regional experts in Seoul that the Kims are actually visiting China.

Also on Thursday, North Korea’s central news agency said the country is to receive “emergency relief materials” from China amid reports the impoverished country’s food crisis will worsen this year.

The reports of Mr. Kim’s visit to China come as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is in the North Korean capital. The U.S. State Department says he is on a private humanitarian mission to secure the release of an imprisoned American.

Aijalan Mahli Gomes was sentenced to eight years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korea and fined the equivalent of 700,000 dollars. He has been held since January.

North Korean television showed Mr. Carter’s arrival at the Pyongyang airport Wednesday.

The announcer says Mr. Carter was greeted by vice foreign minister Kim Gye Gwan and later had a “cordial talk” with Kim Yong Nam, the president of the country’s Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly.

Also this week, China’s top envoy on Korean issues, Wu Dawei, is in Seoul. The South Korean Foreign Ministry says he is here to discuss the resumption of stalled talks about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs.

Baek at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses thinks the three visits going on this week are linked.  He calls the diplomacy significant and appears connected to efforts to resume the nuclear negotiations.

China is pushing to restart the six-nation nuclear talks. But three participants, South Korea, Japan and the United States, have expressed reservations in wake of the sinking of a South Korean naval vessel in March. An international investigation blamed the sinking of the Cheonan on a North Korean torpedo. Pyongyang denies any involvement.

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As in the past, the Foreign Ministry had no immediate response to reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is visiting China. And officials at the North Korean embassy said they had no information.

During Mr. Kim’s trip to China in May, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu dodged questions about the visit, which was only formally announced after it was over.

She stopped short of confirming his presence, but said high-level visits are determined by consultation between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Jiang says that every country makes what she describes as “appropriate arrangements according to the actual situation” of each visit.

China is North Korea’s biggest supporter and source of aid. Some North Korea scholars think Mr. Kim may seek Beijing’s approval of plans for his son to eventually succeed him. But there is speculation that Mr. Kim wants more help for his impoverished nation.

Official North Korean media say Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a message of sympathy to North Korea because of recent flood losses. A separate report says China will provide aid to help North Korea recover from the floods.

Shi Yinhong, international relations professor at Renmin University, says he thinks the Chinese government is ready to provide some assistance to North Korea.

At the same time, Shi says Beijing will not satisfy all of Pyongyang’s requests. Specifically, he says China will refuse what he described as North Korea’s “excessive demands” for things such as military assistance.

There also are reports that Mr. Kim is bringing his son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, with him to meet Chinese officials. Shi says if these reports are true, it would show that Mr. Kim is “determined to let his successor succeed.”

Shi says the Chinese government does not have a say in who is going to inherit power in North Korea, and so will not publicize its views on the matter.

Reports that Mr. Kim is in China coincide with former President Jimmy Carter’s visit to North Korea to seek the release of an American imprisoned there.

Shi says the coincidence of these events could mean there is a chance that stalled talks on ending North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs could resume. China has been the host of the discussions, which also include the United States, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

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