A British expert says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is very unlikely to abandon his country's nuclear program even if the six-way talks resume this fall.

In a recent interview with Kyodo News Agency, Gary Samore of London's International Institute for Strategic Studies said Pyongyang will probably return to the talks after reprocessing spent fuel rods removed earlier this year from its Yongbyon reactor.

He predicted the North will resume the talks in late summer or early fall although it will want to continue its delay tactics.

Saying the six-way framework will eventually fail to convince Kim to drop nuclear weapons, however, Samore said only a regime change can bring about dismantlement.

Samore, meanwhile, stressed China's role as the most effective way to resolve the standoff, urging Beijing to stop backing North Korea and consider sanctions.