North Korea has said the next round of talks on its nuclear programme will be begin on February 25th.
Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported the United States, North Korea and other major parties concerned had agreed to the date after talks.
A round of talks involving North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia was held in Beijing in August but ended inconclusively.
US Deputy Secretary of State Mr Richard Armitage said in Tokyo yesterday that the stalemate over North Korea's nuclear arms programme was a "dangerous and unstable situation."
The crisis over North Korea's nuclear programme erupted in October 2002 when US officials said North Korea had admitted a secret weapons programme.
The United States has offered to give details then on security guarantees for North Korea, which President Bush has labeled part of an "axis of evil."