North Korea's Foreign Ministry says that U.S. and North Korean top nuclear envoys have reached what it calls "an agreement" during their three days of discussions in Berlin.

The ministry confirmed that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-kwan held talks in the German capital Friday.

A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the talks went smoothly under a positive atmosphere and the two sides reached what it called "a certain agreement," but did not give further details.

The spokesman said that the Berlin negotiations were held with the mutual consent of the two countries. He added that Pyongyang has turned to direct dialogue with Washington to settle the North Korean nuclear problem.

However, in a news conference, White House spokesman Tony Snow denied speculations about a shift in the Bush administration’s North Korea policy, saying that the Berlin talks were not an instance of bilateral negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea.

The Bush administration has rejected bilateral negotiations with the communist country.