The United States says a one-on-one meeting North Korea is seeking with Washington is only possible if Pyongyang agrees to return to the six-way nuclear talks.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. will not have bilateral talks with Pyongyang until the communist state agrees to return to the six-nation negotiations, stressing that the North’s nuclear issue is a regional security issue and must be resolved multilaterally.

Kelly also said that despite reports of an invitation, U.S. special envoy on North Korea Stephen Bosworth has no plans to visit the North.