The White House said today that it is up to North Korea to take the next step if Pyongyang wants to seek a dialogue with the United States about dismantling its nuclear weapons.
"The ball is in their court," said White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer.
A day after opening the door ever so slightly to a dialogue with North Korea, US officials insisted the United States would not dangle any additional inducements to try to persuade Pyongyang to abandon a programme believed to have spawned one or two nuclear weapons.
The North Korean situation was to be the subject of a late afternoon meeting between President George W. Bush's national security adviser, Ms Condoleezza Rice, and a South Korean presidential envoy, Mr Yim Sung-joon. South Korea has argued for a dialogue with the North.
The United States was not actively seeking a meeting with North Korea, but officials said a dialogue was available through the usual channels in New York. Past contacts have been held with North Korean diplomats at the United Nations, since the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Pyongyang.
The new US position welcoming a dialogue was announced yesterday in a joint US, South Korean and Japanese statement. It reversed Washington's previous insistence that North Korea roll back recent steps to revive its nuclear programs before such talks were possible.