The US Secretary of State Colin Powell says he has not yet decided whether to meet a North Korean minister after an apparent offer from the Communist state to thaw relations.

Mr Powell said he welcomed overtures from North Korea towards the US, Japan and South Korea revealed earlier this week through the Russian foreign minister.

I still do not have anything to say... with respect to a meeting with the foreign minister

US Secretary of State Colin Powell

But while Japan and South Korea have accepted proposals to talk with representatives from Pyongyang, the US has yet to respond.

The first chance of a meeting will come on Wednesday, when both Mr Powell and his North Korean counterpart Paek Nam-sun are in Brunei as part of the Association of South-East Asian Nations conference.

Rapprochement

North Korea launched new diplomatic efforts last week when it expressed regret for a deadly naval clash with the South, ending weeks of brinkmanship.

On Tuesday, the South Korean Unification Ministry accepted a proposal to resume talks with its neighbour.

It plans to hold preliminary discussions this week to prepare for ministerial-level contact in Seoul.

And Japan has said its representative will talk to Mr Paek in the first such meeting for two years on the sidelines of the Asean summit.

Mr Powell, however, said he would wait until he got to Brunei before making a decision on meeting the North Korean foreign minister.

"We continue to follow the various statements being made by Pyongyang and they continue to be positive," Mr Powell said while in Singapore as part of a six-nation trip through the region.

"I still do not have anything to say... with respect to a meeting with the foreign minister."

Mr Powell is expected to discuss the situation with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, who will also be at the Asean summit.

It was Mr Ivanov who received North Korea's offer of unconditional talks with the US, Japan and South Korea, during a visit to Pyongyang where he met President Kim Jong-il.

US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly could stand in for Mr Powell

Mr Powell may also gauge the situation with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.

Should any meeting be arranged between him and Mr Paek, it would be the highest-level discussion between the two sides since former US President Bill Clinton left office.

The US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs James Kelly could also take Mr Powell's place.

On Monday, Mr Powell said North Korea had been on an "incorrect path".

But he has repeatedly said that US officials are willing to resume security talks with North Korea, described by US President George W Bush as forming part of an "axis of evil".