The U.S. State Department has released its official position on President Roh Moo-hyun's speech delivered in Los Angeles last week, in which he expressed opposition to a U.S. hardline policy on North Korea.

In an official statement Wednesday, the State Department said the speech contained points that the U.S. hoped to discuss with senior South Korean officials in the near future.

However, the department stopped short of commenting on a specific remark by Roh in which he argued that there was some truth to North Korean claims that it was developing nuclear weapons as a deterrent to protect itself from outside threats.

The State Department said that the participants of the six-way nuclear talks are prepared to discuss how to deal with North Korean concerns and how to improve Pyongyang's relations with the international community.