North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il says he is willing to hold talks with the United States and South Korea, including a summit with the South's leader, former US president Jimmy Carter said Thursday.

Carter was speaking on his return from a visit with three other retired world leaders to Pyongyang, a mission aimed at easing high inter-Korean tensions, assessing food shortages and encouraging nuclear disarmament.

The ex-leaders said the shortages amount to a crisis, and Carter accused the US and South Korea of a "human rights violation" for, in his view, withholding food aid from the North for political reasons.

The delegation did not meet Kim during its three-day stay in the isolated communist state, but Carter said Kim's offer of talks was made earlier Thursday in Pyongyang in a "personal message" read by an official.

Kim "sent word that he and the people of North Korea are willing to negotiate with South Korea or the United States or (the other powers involved in six-party nuclear disarmament talks) on any subject at any time without preconditions", Carter said.

"He specifically told us that he was prepared for a summit with (South Korean) President Lee Myung-Bak at any time to discuss any subject directly between the two heads of state."

Carter was accompanied by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, ex-Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and former Irish president Mary Robinson.

Robinson described food shortages as "extremely serious" after an exceptionally cold winter, floods and an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The failure of the United States and South Korea to provide the food aid they previously supplied had aggravated the situation, she said.

The Elders Group urged South Korea, the European Union and the United States to "realise that there is a very serious crisis," Robinson said.

Bruntland, a former World Health Organisation chief, said one-third of North Korea's children are growing up stunted because of their poor diet.

Carter said one of the most important human rights was access to food.

"For America and South Korea deliberately to withhold food aid to North Korea because of unrelated political issues is really a human rights violation," he said.

He added that Pyongyang was willing to allow monitoring of aid, after accusations that shipments in the past had been diverted to North Korea's vast army.

Cross-border relations have been icy since the South accused the North of sinking the Cheonan warship in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives.

The North denies involvement but shelled a South Korean border island last November, killing four people including civilians.

Before any major dialogue takes place, Seoul wants Pyongyang to take responsibility for both incidents. The North says its island attack was provoked by a Seoul military drill.

"My opinion is that the North Koreans will not admit responsibility for the sinking of the Cheonan and will not apologise," Carter said.

But top military and political figures "expressed deep regret" for the loss of life on the Cheonan and for civilians killed on the island, he said.

Six-party nuclear disarmament talks are also deadlocked. The last meeting was in December 2008 and in May 2009 Pyongyang staged its second nuclear weapons test.

In November it disclosed a uranium enrichment plant, a potential second way to build atomic weapons.

China has been pushing to restart the six-party forum that it chairs and proposes an inter-Korean meeting on nuclear issues as a prelude.

"They (the North) are very willing to discuss nuclear issues and any other military issues directly with South Korea, including at the highest possible level," Carter said.

South Korea has repeatedly said it is willing in principle to hold a summit with North Korea, but has responded coolly to Carter's trip. President Lee will not meet the delegation, Carter confirmed.

earlier related report
Carter to brief Seoul on N. Korea peace mission
Seoul (AFP) April 28, 2011 - Former US President Jimmy Carter Thursday wrapped up a peacemaking mission to North Korea and was due to brief South Korean officials about Pyongyang's reported willingness to hold talks.

Carter, travelling with three other retired world leaders, arrived by chartered plane in South Korea after three days in the communist state.

They met nominal head of state Kim Yong-Nam and Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun. But it was not immediately known whether they also got their hoped-for meeting with leader Kim Jong-Il and his son and heir apparent Jong-Un.

The delegation, from a group called The Elders, wanted to help ease high inter-Korean tensions, assess the North's food shortages and promote nuclear disarmament.

Efforts to improve North-South relations are deadlocked, with the North refusing to accept blame for two deadly border incidents last year.

Six-party nuclear disarmament talks have not been held since December 2008 and in May 2009 Pyongyang staged its second nuclear weapons test.

In November it disclosed a uranium enrichment plant, a potential second way to build atomic weapons.

China has been pushing to restart the six-party forum that it chairs, but South Korea and the United States say the North must first act to improve cross-border relations.

Carter, in a blog post Wednesday, said the North wants US security guarantees before any nuclear disarmament.

"We are hearing consistently... that the North wants to improve relations with America and is prepared to talk without preconditions to both the US and South Korea on any subject," the former president wrote.

"The sticking point -- and it's a big one -- is that they won't give up their nuclear programme without some kind of security guarantee from the US."

The delegation was scheduled to meet the South's nuclear negotiator Wi Sung-Lac and Unification Minister Hyun In-Taek before holding a press conference and having dinner with Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan.

Carter is accompanied by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, ex-Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and former Irish president Mary Robinson.

The former US president noted his party's warm reception in Pyongyang but the welcome in Seoul was expected to be cooler.

Seoul has played down what it calls a purely personal visit and Carter's blog post implicitly criticised US and South Korean policy towards the North.

It praised the "sunshine" engagement policy of previous South Korean presidents. Current President Lee Myung-Bak abandoned the policy and linked major aid to nuclear disarmament, a stance which enraged the North.

Inter-Korean ties are "currently at rock bottom", Carter said in the post, adding that Seoul and Washington refuse direct engagement with Pyongyang and are unwilling at present to relieve its "desperate" food shortage.

Before any major dialogue takes place, Seoul wants Pyongyang to accept responsibility for the sinking of a warship in March 2010 with the loss of 46 lives.

The North denies involvement in the sinking, and says its artillery attack on a South Korean island last November -- which killed four people including two civilians -- was provoked by a Seoul military drill.