N KOREA : FLOWERS -MILITARY- FLOATS

PYONGYANG : With no long-range missiles on display, North Korea staged a military parade on Sunday focused on conventional arms, peace and economic development as it marked the 70th anniversary of the country's founding.

The reduced display compared to past years earned a thank you note from US President Donald Trump, who hailed it as a ''big and very positive statement from North Korea.''

''Trump on Twitter quoted a Fox News description of the event without long-range nuclear missiles as a sign of  North Korea's ''commitment to denuclearize.''

''Thank You to Chairman Kim. We will both prove everyone wrong! There is nothing like good-dialogue from two people that like each other! Much better than before I took office,'' Trump tweeted.

In Pyongyang, line-upon-line  of  goose-stepping soldiers and columns of tanks shook the ground before giving way to chanting crowds waving flags and flowers as they passed a review stand where North Korea leader Kim Jong Un sat with a special envoy from China, as well as other visiting foreigners.

Kim told the envoy, Chinese parliament chief  Li Zhanshu, that North Korea was focusing on economic development and hopes to learn from China's experience in this regards, Chinese state television reported.

''North Korea upholds the consensus of the Singapore meeting between the leaders of  North Korea and the  United  States and has taken steps for it and hopes the United States takes corresponding steps, to jointly promote the political resolution process for the peninsula issue,'' the report paraphrased Kim as sayng.

Floats on unification also passed by a throng of North Koreans waving unified Korea flags. [Reuters]