The United States says its policies on North Korea are determined by Pyongyang’s actions, not promises.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters Monday that if North Korea wants to reengage with the International Atomic Energy Agency and wants to reintroduce inspectors into its facilities, that certainly would be a positive step.

However, he added that the key is following through with and implementing that decision, and meeting its international obligations both under international agreements and also under the September 15th Joint Statement.

Crowley said the U.S. has seen a string of broken promises by North Korea going back many years. He said the U.S. will be guided by what North Korea does, not by what North Korea says it might do under certain circumstances.

Crowley’s statement comes after CNN said that North Korea agreed with visiting New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson on the need to permit the return of U.N. nuclear inspectors to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.