The move came amid intense haggling at the United Nations on the scale and nature of sanctions and ahead of a high-level US diplomatic drive to reign in the Stalinist nation.

• 此次访问正值联合国就在多大范围、制裁的性质发生激烈争执之际以及在美国高层在外交上施压以迫使这个斯大林主义国家就范之前进行的。