BRUSSELS Belgium AP European Union and North Korea officials will hold first-ever talks here Wednesday on issues ranging from human rights to food aid to security on the Korean peninsula. ``We are quite pleased North Korea has agreed to debate a broad agenda of issues'' EU spokesman Nigel Gardner said Tuesday. He said the EU wants to see if the Europeans can have a regular political dialogue with North Korea. The EU side will include mid-level officials from Austria Britain and Germany and Percy Westerlund a Swede who is director general at the European Commission's foreign affairs office. Gardner said the discussion will also touch on efforts by Japan South Korea the United States and the EU to build two nuclear reactors replacing North Korea's own nuclear program that was suspected of developing atomic weapons. They formed a consortium in 1994 known as the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization that recently approved a new dlrs 4.6 billion estimate for the two reactors. KEDO was created after North Korea agreed to freeze and eventually dismantle its nuclear weapons program in exchange for two light-water nuclear power plants and 500000-ton annual fuel oil shipments until they are completed. The reactors are due to be ready for use by 2003 and will replace North Korea's Soviet-developed graphite-moderated reactors that produce greater amounts of weapons-grade plutonium. The goal of controlling nuclear proliferation has taken on new urgency since India and Pakistan conducted nuclear test explosions in May raising international concern the entire system of international nuclear controls might unravel. UR; Rw APW19981201.1269.txt.body.html APW19981201.0387.txt.body.html