The U.S. is urging North Korea to choose between its nuclear ambitions and the normalization of relations with the U.S.

U.S. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told a news briefing that it is really an either-or proposition.

In regards to a report that North Korea is building an experimental light water reactor in Yongbyon, Crowley said that the North is not, by itself, pursuing a civilian nuclear program. He said the North is a proliferator with a military program that poses a danger to the region and to the rest of the world.

He did say, however, that Washington is prepared to discuss with Pyongyang ways to meet its energy needs if the North demonstrates a willingness to meet its international obligations and follows commitments that it has made under a 2005 joint statement.