The call came a week after US President George W. Bush renewed a commitment to diplomacy to convince North Koreans to give up their nuclear weapons programs.

"It is time for North Korea to get actively into dialogue," Roh told Seoul-based daily Kyeonghyang in a year-end interview released by his office for its Monday edition.

"We have set conditions and circumstances (for North Korea) to come to negotiations, haven't we? It is appropriate to let other issues tackled at the dialogue table, isn't it? I want to tell North Korea so."

North Korea has been locked in a tense standoff over the United States demand to irreversibly and verifiably end its drive to produce nuclear weapons.

Pyongyang has been under growing pressure to return to the six-way negotiations that also include South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

After three rounds of talks since the nuclear standoff began in October 2002, North Korea boycotted a fourth round scheduled for Beijing in September for what it called a hostile US policy.

North Korea has indicated it would take no steps until it was sure what shape US policy would take under the second administration of President Bush, who will be officially inaugurated on January 20.

"I stand on continuing the six-party talks with North Korea to convince (North Korean leader) Kim Jong-Il to give up his weapons systems," Bush told a December 20 press conference at White House.

In Sunday's interview, Roh admitted the United States and North Korea are two "leading" players while China who hosts the six-way talks holds a "casting vote" to settle the nuclear issue.

But he stressed South Korea should also have a say because it had a "to-live-or-to-die interest" in the nuclear issue in reference to the tense inter-Korean military confrontation.

The South Korean leader repeated his skepticism about holding a second summit between the leaders of both Koreas in parallel with six-way talks.

"I have a desire to hold a summit -- regardless of where or when -- if possible... but I would say it is not possible at the moment," Roh said.

"If a summit takes place while six-party talks are under way, the agenda should focus on the six-way talks. North Korea does not want it."

In June 2000 in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-Il and then South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung held the first inter-Korean summit. Kim Jong-Il promised at that time to visit Seoul for a follow up meeting.

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