A top U.S. diplomat says there is a strong consensus among the members of the six-way nuclear talks, excluding North Korea, to establish a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through the nuclear negotiations.

Speaking at a U.S. think tank on Friday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said he hopes to be able to give more details on the consensus, hinting that Washington would soon decide on whether to accept Pyongyang’s request to hold bilateral talks.

Steinberg is scheduled to visit South Korea, Japan and China next week to discuss North Korea’s nuclear issue.