North Korean and U.S. negotiators meet in Geneva Monday to discuss long-stalled six-party nuclear disarmament negotiations. Analysts expect no breakthroughs during the two-day meeting, but say engagement is better than hostilities.

Here are some key dates in the six-party talks, which involve the U.S., the two Koreas, Japan, Russia and China.

August 27-29, 2003: First round of six-party talks is held in Beijing.

September 19, 2005: At talks, Pyongyang agrees to scrap its nuclear program in return for security and diplomatic guarantees and energy aid.

November 9-11, 2005: A new round of talks collapses, with the North demanding an end to U.S.-led financial sanctions that froze its accounts in a bank in Macau.

October 9, 2006: North Korea tests a nuclear weapon.

October 3, 2007: Six nations announce deal under which the North will declare all nuclear programs and disable the Yongbyon nuclear plant by the end of the year. Disablement starts in November.

June 26, 2008: North Korea hands over declaration on its nuclear program.

December 8-11, 2008: Six party talks end in a stalemate after failing to agree on how to verify the North's declaration.

April 14, 2009: North Korea announces it will quit the six-nation talks, reopen its disabled plant and strengthen its nuclear deterrent.

May 25, 2009: North carries out a second nuclear test.

July 28-29: U.S. special representative Stephen Bosworth and North Korea's first vice-foreign minister Kim Kye-Gwan hold talks in New York on setting up Geneva talks.

October 24-25: Delegates convene in Geneva for a second round of talks between delegations led by U.S. envoy Stephen Bosworth and North Korea's first vice foreign minister, Kim Kye Gwan.