A senior US State Department official has announced that the United States will hold bilateral talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. But he says the talks will only be conducted within the six-party framework.

Assistant Secretary of State, Philip Crowley, said a decision has yet to be made on when or where such a meeting will take place. Although Washington will talk directly with the DPRK, it insists there has been no shift from its previous position.

Earlier this week, the U.S. special envoy for the DPRK policies met with officials from Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo. The six-party talks are considered the most effective way to eventually end the DPRK's nuclear program. The last round of six-party talks took place in Beijing in December 2008.

(CCTV September 14, 2009)