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The George W. Bush administration does not want to pass on the North Korean nuclear issue to the next administration, and it is making sure that Pyongyang does not try to "run out the clock," a top U.S. security adviser said Monday.

Stephen Hadley, the White House national security adviser, said the six-party talks on North Korea's denuclearization seem to be "progressing well."

But he noted lingering uncertainties as well. "I don't know where it will come out," he said.

"I think one of the things we need to do is keep up the pressure, because we would like to get this issue resolved so that the new administration does not have to deal with it," he told the Council on Foreign Relations. The transcript of his remarks was released Tuesday.

"And, on the other hand, we have to be careful that they (North Koreans) not try and just sort of run out the clock."

After a bilateral agreement with Pyongyang to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons development collapsed in 2002, the U.S.

put together a six-nation forum aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. In two agreements struck in September 2005 and February this year, Pyongyang committed to disabling and eventually dismantling its nuclear weapons and programs. The other five countries -- South Korea, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan -- would provide political and economic incentives.

The six countries are expected to meet for another round of talks as early as next week to plan out the disablement phase.

"There are hiccups along the way. We've seen this. Anyone who has dealt with North Korea has seen it," said Hadley.

But despite North Korea's "test," the six-nation coalition has held together, he said.

"So it is going to be, I think, continuing of... holding the group together, putting on pressure and insisting on performance of these agreements that they've entered into."


WASHINGTON, Sept. 18 (Yonhap)