White House contradicts Tillerson on talks with North Korea

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appears to have been contradicted by the White House and his own department, after suggesting the US had softened its position on talks with North Korea, reports Agencies.

Mr Tillerson said on Tuesday that he was ready to open dialogue with Pyongyang, without preconditions.

But within a day, the White House and State Department had reiterated the administration's hard line, stressing that North Korea must first commit to abandoning its nuclear weapons.

The mixed messages mark the third time in recent months that Mr Tillerson has been publicly at odds with the White House.

Speaking at a policy forum in Washington DC on Tuesday, the secretary of state told the audience: "We've said from the diplomatic side we're ready to talk any time North Korea, would like to talk, and we're ready to have the first meeting without precondition."

He added: "Let's just meet and let's talk about the weather if you want and talk about whether it's going to be a square table or a round table if that's what you're excited about."

In response to the remarks, an unnamed White House official told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday: "The administration is united in insisting that any negotiations with North Korea must wait until the regime fundamentally improves its behavior.

"As the secretary of state himself has said, this must include, but is not limited to, no further nuclear or missile tests."

Meanwhile, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres Thursday warned the world against "sleepwalking into war" over North Korea, as he called for diplomatic efforts to banish nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula.

Speaking on a visit to Japan, Secretary-General Guterres said: "The worst possible thing that could happen would be for us all to sleepwalk into a war that might have very dramatic circumstances."

The UN Security Council has imposed three rounds of sanctions over the past year against North Korea over its increasingly powerful missile and nuclear tests.

Guterres said those sanctions need to be implemented "by North Korea first of all, but also fully implemented by all the other countries whose role is crucial".