Senior officials from the World Food Programme will arrive in Pyongyang on Tuesday to begin what are likely to be complicated negotiations on the future of its relief activities in North Korea, as the irascible state imposes stringent new conditions on aid agencies.

This week’s talks come as non-governmental organisations embark on further sensitive discussions with Kim Jong-il’s regime, which wants any remaining aid workers to be regrouped under a European Union umbrella by the end of this month.