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North Korea had "signaled" that it was ready to move forward on its nuclear issue, leading to the decision by the United States and others to engage the Pyongyang regime, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.

In an interview with CNN during her trip to Germany, the secretary reaffirmed she believes there will be progress in the North Korean nuclear situation.

South and North Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan reached a six-party agreement in Beijing on Feb. 13 under which Pyongyang would eventually dismantle its nuclear weapons and programs in return for political and economic benefits.

Under criticism that the agreement awards a badly behaving regime harboring nuclear ambitions, Washington is also being asked why it refuses to try the same engagement strategy with Iran, another nation suspected of developing atomic weapons, by getting neighboring Syria involved.

"The situations are different," Rice told CNN.

The U.S. could engage Syria if its government were taking steps to improve the situation in the Middle East, she said.

"And that's why the time for engagement with North Korea in the context of the six-party talks was very clear," the secretary said.

"The North Koreans signaled, and they have thus far demonstrated, that they are ready to move forward."

The six-party forum succeeded in convincing North Korea what it needed to do, she said.

"And I think, in fact, we will make progress there."

Washington, Feb. 21 (Yonhap News)