A U.S. State Department spokesman has acknowledged that North Korea may not meet its deadline to submit a full declaration of its nuclear activities.
Tom Casey Friday encouraged Pyongyang to turn in the declaration by the end of the month. But he said it is more important that the document be full and complete when it is received.
His comments echo remarks the South Korean Foreign Minister Soong Min-soon made Thursday.
Casey also said State Department official Sung Kim monitoring North Korea's nuclear disablement process has met with officials in Pyongyang to discuss the situation.
A North Korean official said earlier this week that Pyongyang had not received promised aid in a timely manner, and was left with no choice but to slow the disablement of its Yongbyon nuclear reactor complex.
Casey said he was unaware of any delays in shipments of oil and related aid to North Korea.
The United States and South Korea pledged to give the North the equivalent of one million tons of heavy fuel oil in exchange for disabling its nuclear weapons facilities and for disclosing its nuclear programs.
U.S. officials are demanding that Pyongyang account for evidence of a secret uranium enrichment program that it has never publicly admitted.
