A senior US official said in Washington Monday that the American government expects to resume the six-party talks "as soon as possible."

"We do not see a good reason for not going back to talks," deputy spokesman of the State Department Adam Ereli said at a news briefing.

Ereli said that "five parties to the six-party talks that are ready to resume and that there's only one that's holding out; that's North Korea ... it's really up to North Korea to come back to the talks."

The so-called North Korea stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The six-party talks, sponsored and presided by China, was designed to resolve the nuclear confrontation between the DPRK and the United States, and aiming at realizing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

In addition to China, the US and the DPRK, the talks also involve the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan and Russia. Three rounds of the talks have been held by June.

A fourth round, scheduled for September, failed to be held due to the DPRK's refusal to attend. Pyongyang has been accusing Washington of taking hostile policy towards the DPRK, and of applying "double standards" over the ROK's nuclear issue.

(Xinhua News Agency November 2, 2004)