Washington says it is ready to be engaged in the Six Party talks as soon as North Korea decides to resume the stalled negotiations, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State said.

"There have been several communications or meetings with North Korean officials on the Six - or within the Six-Party framework and they have not reengaged up to this point. If a reengagement is what they desire, we're ready for that to take place and that can start as soon as they take the action to do so," Acting Deputy Department Spokesman Gordon Duguid told a daily press briefing.

The North Korean ambassador to London said earlier in the week that it would be possible to resume the Six Party talks in the first half of this year.

"I think that a positive sign would be coming back to the Six-Party Talks and not making statements about the Six-Party Talks," Duguid added.

The six-party talks involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan came to a halt last April when North Korea walked out of negotiations in protest against the United Nations' condemnation of its missile tests.

The North recently hinted that it was willing to return to the talks, but insisted it first negotiate directly with the United States to repair "hostile relations."

MOSCOW, March 20 (RIA Novosti)