The White House says it hopes a recent meeting between New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and North Korean diplomats will prompt Pyongyang to resume denuclearization efforts.

Asked about the meeting that occurred between Richardson and the North Koreans in Santa Fe, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday that Washington hopes Pyongyang will stay true to the responsibilities that it entered into on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, adding that anything that furthers the goal would be a positive development.

Gibbs stressed that the pathway for the North to come back and live up to those responsibilities is open.

However, Gibbs stressed that although the State Department approved the North Korean diplomats’ trip to New Mexico, the meeting was independent of the Obama administration.