The United States is revitalizing efforts to jumpstart six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
In an interview with Reuters and AFP, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States has already made Pyongyang "a very good proposal" and is waiting for it to be accepted.
North Korea has so far refused to return for a fourth round of talks, alleging the United States plans to launch military strikes against it - an idea Ms. Rice calls "farfetched."
Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official is in Seoul for talks with South Korean officials after stops in Tokyo and Beijing. Michael Green, director for Asian affairs on the U.S. National Security Council, says the Bush administration is holding out hope that Pyongyang will return to the negotiations.