A U.S. expert on Korean affairs has expressed caution about North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s recent remark suggesting that his country is ready to engage in multilateral talks.

David Straub, who formerly served as the chief of the Korea desk at the State Department, told Seoul-based Yonhap News Saturday that even if the recent report about the North Korean leader is true, it is not clear whether it means that Pyongyang will return to the six-way nuclear talks.

He added that Kim’s remarks also do not make clear whether Pyongyang intends to propose another multilateral format or plans to talk to various countries bilaterally.

Straub, who accompanied former President Bill Clinton to Pyongyang last month, also said that North Korea has variously said it is prepared to consider giving up nuclear weapons and also that it is not.

Straub said that any breakthrough will depend on whether North Korea is willing to change its position.

Straub currently serves as associate director of the Korean Studies Program at the Walter H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center in Stanford University. His comments came after China's state-run Xinhua News said North Korean leader expressed hopes to resolve issues related to the Korean Peninsula and the North Korean nuclear program through bilateral and multilateral talks.