N Korea ousts observers

A North Korean soldier (above) stares across the military demarcation line at the truce village of Panmunjom, where the Communist regime yesterday forced Polish observers to leave.

North Korea wants to sign a peace treaty directly with the US to bring a formal end to the Korean War, bypassing the armistice arrangements which have been in place for 42 years. Washington has rejected any such proposal. The Poles were the last foreign personnel on the North Korean side, with Chinese and Czech contingents having left earlier. The Polish government said last week it would not agree to withdraw its monitors, but North Korea said it would cut off all supplies of food, water and electricity to them.

Photograph: Reuter