The relationship between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) could not improve much until the country fully dismantle its nuclear programs, a senior US official said yesterday.

"I've said many times that with denuclearization a lot of things are possible, but without it we're not going to get very far," US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters, ahead of working group talks with the DPRK at the weekend.

Hill said the United States currently had no intention to remove the DPRK from a list of countries accused of "sponsoring terrorism", although it had repeatedly demanded this in the six-party talks that also involve China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia.

"I'm not prepared to say precisely when it could be done at this point, but obviously it's an important issue with respect to our working group," he said.

He added that the two sides would discuss this issue in the working group meeting and try to figure out "at what stage that could be done." The meeting will start on Saturday morning in the US mission to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva.

The working group meeting is being held under a six-party agreement reached on Feb 13. Although it is technically about normalizing relations between the US and the DPRK, Hill indicated the meeting would focus on the declaration and disablement of the DPRK's nuclear facilities.

Hill hoped the meeting would create the basis for the next round of six-party talks, which would probably start in the early part of September.

"It's my hope that we will see that we have a basis for going to the plenary meeting -- which we anticipate will be in Beijing sometime in the early part of September -- and that we will have a basis for reaching an agreement on the implementation of a declaration and disablement."

Under the Feb 13 agreement, the DPRK agreed to dismantle its nuclear facilities in return for aid and security and diplomatic guarantees, especially normalizing ties with the United States.

The DPRK has shut down a key nuclear reactor in Yongbyon according to the agreement. But the United States insists that the DPRK must completely declare and disable its nuclear arsenal before any establishment of ties between the two countries that have been enemies for over 50 years.