Japan’s Kyodo News says North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has told China that the North’s nuclear issue should be resolved through talks with the United States.

Diplomatic sources quote Kim as conveying the opinion to Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo during his visit to Pyongyang on September 18th.

But the sources say it’s unclear whether Kim’s expressed hope for multilateral talks refers to a return to the six-party dialogue or if it refers to bilateral talks with the U.S. and multilateral talks side by side.

The sources say China interprets his remarks as hinting at a return to the six-way talks after Pyongyang holds bilateral meetings with Washington.