"The United States, of course, recognizes that North Korea is sovereign. It's obvious." U.S. State Secretary Condoleezza Rice made the remarks in a CNN interview in Moscow on Monday, as she sought to lure the Stalinist regime back to the nuclear negotiating table aimed at curbing Pyongyang's nuclear drive. She also reassured that Washington has no intentions to attack Pyongyang.

Sovereignty acknowledgement and direct, bilateral discussions have been two of the North's preconditions for returning to multilateral disarmament talks.

"As we've done in the past, our practice has been to meet directly with all parties, including the North Koreans in the context of the six-party talks, and if the North Koreans were to return to those talks we would certainly continue that practice."

But the latest sovereignty reassurance is an echo of her first statement made here in South Korea in March. "I think it's a statement of fact that North Korea is a sovereign state. It's in the United Nations, we're in negotiations with it and the six-party talks."

Despite repeated verbal reassurances, Pyongyang has refused to participate in multilateral nuclear discussions for almost a year, and it's unclear what impact Washington's latest offer will have on North Korea.

Arirang TV