North Korea will face U.N. statement

Five permanent member countries of the United Nations Security Council and Sixth is Japan, have reached an agreement on a draft statement about North Korea's long-range rocket launch last weekend, envoys said on Saturday.

British U.N. Ambassador John Sawers incorrigible the agreement, which came after a nearly two-hour meeting on Saturday that ended a weeklong deadlock on a Security Council response to North Korea's rocket launch last Sunday.

"We now have an understanding amongst the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Japan on a draft presidential statement to put to the other members of the 0council," Sawers told reporters.

Presidential statements are formal statements of council positions read out by the president of the Security Council. They are generally considered to be weaker than resolutions. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice declined to disclose any details of the statement but said, "We think this text sends a clear message."

The full 15-member Security Council was expected to receive the draft text at a closed-door meeting scheduled for 6:30 GMT, U.N. diplomats said. The agreement, they said, came after Japan said it would back a U.S.-drafted statement to be issued by the council.

The United States, Japan and South Korea say North Korea launched a long-range ballistic missile, not a satellite, in violation of Security Council resolution 1718 banning the firing of such missiles.

The statement does not declare North Korea in "violation" of 1718, diplomats said it suggests the launch was not in conformity with it, a compromise that was acceptable to Beijing.

Japan had been approaching for a council determination that would declare Pyongyang in violation of resolution 1718 but Russia and China, which are undeviating veto-wielding council members, opposed this. They were not convinced the rocket launch, which North Korea says put a satellite into orbit, was a violation.

Nuke discussion between US and Iran

US has said it would start conference with Iran over its nuclear program. The decision is has being seen as a further step toward the direct engagement with Iran that US President Barack Obama has promised.

It followed an call to Iran to join in a new round of talks, which would include Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. It also coincided with an unusual face of conciliation toward the United States by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, reports the New York Times.

Ahmadinejad said Wednesday in a talking in Isphahan that his government would welcome talks with the Obama administration, provided that the shift in American policy was "honest."

The Obama administration's choice is the latest in a series of gestures to Iran, ranging from Obama's videotaped New Year's greeting to the Iranian people three weeks ago to an impromptu encounter last week between an Iranian diplomat and a presidential envoy, Richard C. Holbrooke.

He also briefed them on the administration's broader Iran policy review, which is nearing completion, the State Department said. By showing a readiness to engage Iran, American officials said, the administration is trying to build support among allies like Germany and France, and more skeptical players, like Russia, so that if diplomatic efforts fail, it can marshal support for tougher sanctions against Tehran.

Most terror attacks start off in Pakistan : Gordon Brown

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told his Indian Prime minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday that most of the terrorist attacks in Britain have their beginning in Pakistan.

The British premier made the remarks at the fag-end of a meeting lasting over an hour at his office at 10 Downing Street, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon told reporters.

With the situation in Pakistan set to figure in Thursday's summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leaders in London, Brown said the issue of terrorism in Pakistan needs to be dealt with firmly and that 'something needs to be done about it'.

The British premier said he will continue to connect with Pakistani system to work jointly with the international society to confront the problem of terrorism.

'We told him about our experience and our hope of Pakistani administration', said Menon.