US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has sent a clear message that Washington has no intention of attacking North Korea as she embarked on an Asian trip to ease the Korean nuclear crisis.

Rice also said the United States had "no timetable" for North Korea to return to stalled multilateral talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons program. She said the US would "keep opening doors" in a bid to jumpstart the talks.

She told reporters that the United States considers North Korea a sovereign nation.

Rice will arrive in Beijing Saturday evening as the first stop of her Asian tour. During her stay, Rice is expected to confer with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan.

This is Rice's second trip to China, South Korea and Japan in some three month. Analysts see it as a reflection of Washington's eagerness to end the nuclear turmoil.

(Photo source: yahoo.com)