The United States rejected North Korea"s conditions for a resumption of six-party talks on scrapping its nuclear programs, a response to Pyongyang"s latest demands that left the two nations in a stalemate.

Secretary of State Colin Powell, who arrived in the region on Saturday seeking to revive the talks, also indicated North Korea might win its demands if it returns to negotiations.

The top U.S. diplomat refused to consider three demands North Korea outlined on Friday as conditions for a new round.

Instead, he said North Korea, which has refused to return to talks since June, should bring the demands to six-party negotiations that also involve Japan, South Korea, China and Russia.

``Anything they wish to talk about, we should talk about in the six-party framework and not talk about conditions to have another session of the six-party group,"" Powell told reporters on board his plane heading to Tokyo.

Powell spoke before North Korea threatened on Saturday to double the size of its nuclear deterrent if the United States did not drop what Pyongyang sees as a confrontational policy aimed at unseating the communist leadership.

On Friday, North Korea said it would consider returning to the talks if Washington drops its hostile policy, is prepared to join a compensation package in return for the North freezing its programs and allows discussion on South Korea"s nuclear experiments.

Powell, who arrived just after a powerful earthquake hit Japan, said Washington has sought ``over and over"" to reassure North Korea it will not attack it and is willing to address South Korea"s past nuclear experiments in the six-party talks.

But he ruled out discussing any direct U.S. aid until North Korea shows what it will give in exchange for its June proposal, which would initially allow Japan and South Korea to supply fuel if North Korea agreed to scrap its programs.

``They are very good at trying to get everything they want up front in return for promises,"" Powell said.

``WE"RE STUCK""

The United States, which believes North Korea has built a small number of nuclear weapons, has been leading slow-moving negotiations to persuade the reclusive nation to dismantle its programs since a crisis erupted in 2002.

A senior State Department official said North Korea"s varying excuses for refusing to negotiate were probably because its leadership had not yet decided if it was willing to give up its programs. That means the U.S. can do little to bring them back to talks, the official, who is an advocate of the talks, said.

``We"re stuck. It"s obvious the talks are going nowhere,"" he said.

On his first trip to the region for 18 months, Powell will also visit China and South Korea and seek to convince his negotiation partners the Bush administration will remain committed to the talks, even in a possible second term.

But some senior U.S. officials have misgivings about the talks and would prefer to confront and isolate North Korea.

Washington suspects Pyongyang is stalling to wait for the outcome of the Nov. 2 U.S. presidential election because Democratic candidate Sen. John Kerry favors bilateral talks.

North Korea has miscalculated that it would win more concessions from such a format, according to U.S. officials.