A senior official at the U.S. State Department says North Korea has yet to respond to calls urging it to attend preparatory working group talks for a new round of six-party nuclear negotiations.

The official said the U.S. is currently trying to contact North Korean officials in New York and that it is still waiting for a reply.

The official also said Pyongyang must abandon its nuclear weapons program and focus its policies on improving its relations with the United States and Japan as well as join the Northeast Asian community in establishing peace and prosperity in the region.