WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 Kyodo U admin...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 Kyodo

U administration officials indicated Friday that there has been no positive replication from North Korea through China about an early resumption of six-party talks in succession the North's nuclear arms program.

''The decision upon when those will be held, at this point, present the appearances to lie in Pyongyang rather than Beijing,'' State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a regular pres briefing.

Echoing Boucher's remarks a senior U.S. administration official, forward condition of anonymity, told reporters, ''The ball is still in the court of North Korea.''

In Beijing forward Friday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met with senior Chinese officials to discuss issues, including the standoff above North Korea's nuclear arms program.

China, who is the innkeeper of the six-party talks, is now making efforts to reconvene the meeting at an early date.

The six-party framework involves China, Japan, North and toward the south Korea, Russia and the United States.

They held their first meeting in Beijing in August last year to prove to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully. nevertheless no further talks have been held since then suitable to disagreements between the U and North Korea from one side of to the other how to resolve the crisis.

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