WASHINGTON — North Korea has dangled the prospect of suspending nuclear and long-range missile tests if aid-for-disarmament negotiations get back on track. But it's not ready to declare a moratorium on space launches — the very act that derailed its last attempt to negotiate with Washington.

Recent informal discussions between former U.S. officials and North Korean negotiators in Europe showed Pyongyang's desire to restart six-nation talks on its nuclear program.

It also underscored the major hurdles that remain before the U.S. would be convinced that diplomacy with the secretive regime is worth another shot.

North Korea's outreach comes months after a nuclear test and dire threats of pre-emptive strikes, and a year-and-a-half since a long-range rocket launch derailed an Obama administration's attempt to negotiate a nuclear freeze in exchange for food.