But a North Korean spokesman said at the weekend that Pyongyang would not return to the negotiating table until the lineup of a new US administration following President George W. Bush's re-election was fully known.
Washington intended to use the six-party talks to force North Korea to dismantle all its nuclear program, including those for peaceful purposes, he said.
Three rounds of talks have been held so far but North Korea refused to participate in the fourth round in September after rejecting a US aid-for-disarmament offer.
Ereli downplayed the significance of the New York meeting, stressing that the "the real substance, the real engagement, the real diplomacy is conducted" through the six-party process.
RSS