U.S. calls on DPRK to come back to six-party process

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) --- The recent test-firing of five missiles by Pyongyang does not change U.S policy, said the State Department on Tuesday, adding that the United States is "interested in seeing a resumption of the six-party process."

"We're interested in seeing North Korea recommit to its obligations that it's made in the past few years." said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley at the daily press briefing.

"Our position remains the same: North Korea has to eventually come back to the six-party process and recommit towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said Crowley, adding that the administration has not decided to resume bilateral talks with Pyongyang.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday test-fired five short-range missiles off its east coast, and also issued a navigation ban in waters off its east and west coasts from Oct. 10 to 20.

Reacting to the test-firing, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is visiting Russia, said on Monday that the U.S. goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula remains "unaffected" by Pyongyang's behavior.

The Obama administration claims that the bilateral talks with Pyongyang should be in the DPRK's denuclearization process guided by the six-party talks mechanism, which involved also China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia.