US urges N. Korea to set talks date

The Bush administration urged North Korea yesterday to quickly set a date for resuming six-party nuclear talks amid an intensifying diplomatic push that may include another trip to Asia by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

US officials said Ms Rice was likely to visit Japan next month and is considering other stops, presumably including South Korea and China, to boost the chance of success of another round of negotiations aimed at ending Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programmes. It would be her second Asia trip in three months.

"North Korea needs to commit to a date for returning to the six-party talks without precondition, and be ready to talk in a serious way about how to move forward," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters. North and South Korea ended a high-level meeting yesterday without agreement on resuming the talks, which also include China, Russia and Japan.