The chief US negotiator with North Korea said today there are no deadlines or concessions to be offered to the Asian country for it to return to nuclear talks.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs Christopher Hill said he was reluctant to put a deadline for North Korea to get back to the table, but he did say options where being considered in case the talks fell through.
"A time will come when we have to decide whether this is the right option and whether we have to look at other options," Mr Hill said. "One option we don't have is to walk away. We have got to figure out how to solve this problem.
"I am really reluctant to put a deadline out there, especially an artificial deadline," Mr Hill said at the US embassy in Seoul, where he has been ambassador for less than a year.
Security analysts have said patience in Washington is wearing thin for Pyongyang to return to talks and recent rhetoric from the North to turn the process into mutual disarmament talks has only made tensions worse. Pyongyang has asked for a US apology for calling it an outpost of tyranny.
There has been speculation in diplomatic circles that Washington may have to offer sweeteners, such as considering diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, to get the six-party process rolling again.
"We are not going to make concessions for the purpose of bringing them back to the talks," Mr Hill said.