The US said on Thursday that North Korea should not set preconditions to the upcoming six-party talks.  

In response to Pyongyang's statement that Washington must normalize relations with it for any progress at the meetings, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that "no one should be coming into the talks with any preconditions."

Instead, McClellan said that North Korea should make a "strategic decision" to abandon its nuclear weapons drive for better relations with the US and the rest of the world community.

"If they make that decision, they can start to realize better relations with the international community and start to realize some of the benefits of coming into the international community," he said.

Pyongyang said on Thursday that it is willing to settle the nuclear issue during the forthcoming six-party talks on condition that the US respects North Korea and its system.

"Not a single nuclear weapon will be needed for us if the US nuclear threat is removed and its hostile policy of 'bringing down North Korea's system' is withdrawn," said a spokesperson of the North Korean Foreign Ministry.

North Korea agreed earlier this month to return to the six-party talks after more than a year of stalemate. In addition to North Korea and the US, the six-party talks also involve South Korea, China, Japan and Russia.

Pyongyang boycotted the six-party talks in June 2004 after the third round of the talks, rejecting a US offer then on the table that required an up-front pledge to dismantle all nuclear programs before getting energy and other assistance.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2005)