Japan's Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Friday it is unclear when the six-nation nuclear talks will take place due to Pyongyang's ambiguous position on the matter.
During his visit to Mexico to conclude a Free Trade Agreement deal, Koizumi said the communist state is not extending a clear answer regarding the timetable of the multilateral talks.
At the last meeting in June, the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan had decided to hold the next round of talks by the end of this month.
However, multiple factors are hindering its smooth process including the U.S. presedential election in November. Some analysts speculate that Pyongyang is weighing pros and cons before deciding which U.S. candidate will be of advantage to the Stanlinist state.
Earlier this week, North Korea also seized on South Korea's past nuclear activities to stall the planned fourth round of six-way nuclear talks, saying it would not resume dialogue unless Seoul's nuclear activities are clarified.