The six-nation talks have been stalled since last June.

Washington has refused, saying only that it will participate in the now stalled six-nation talks over the nuclear program.

The previous rounds of the six-nation talks, for which China has been the host, have brought little tangible progress.

American officials have resisted any direct contact with North Koreans outside the six-nation talks.

The six-nation talks began in the summer of 2003.

The six-nation talks over North Korea's nuclear program stalled after multiple rounds in 2004 and 2005.

China has been the host for three rounds of six-nation talks since 2003, with no apparent results.

The first two rounds of the six-nation talks produced largely inconclusive results.

Later this month, China is to sponsor six-nation talks in Beijing on the crisis.

Instead, it has emphasized reviving the six-nation nuclear talks that collapsed a year ago.