The official daily of the ruling Korean Workers Party, Rodong Sinmun, said in a signed commentary that Pyongyang had clarified more than once that it would not stick to any form of dialogue to solve the nuclear issue.

North Korea last Saturday denied it was insisting on direct talks with the United States to resolve the dispute and blamed Washington's "hostile" policy for the deadlock.

"We feel constrained to emphasize that the Bush administration should give abundant clarity to its willingness to make a switchover in its policy toward the DPRK (North Korea) and co-exist with it in peace," said Tuesday's commentary.

"This would provide the groundwork for the two sides to sit at the negotiating table."

The newspaper urged Washington to "retract its hostile policy aimed at 'overthrow' and 'collapse' of the system in the DPRK and choose peaceful co-existence with it."

Three rounds of six-party talks have taken place since the standoff erupted in October 2002, with the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United States participating.

North Korea failed to attend a fourth round scheduled for Beijing in September. Analysts said it may have been awaiting the outcome of the November US presidential election after Democratic challenger John Kerry promised to open direct talks with the North.

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