Russian and US delegations held a consultation here Tuesday afternoon before the second round of six-party talks which is due to open in Beijing Wednesday.  

After the over-one-hour consultation, James Kelly, head of the US delegation and assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, stepped out of the meeting room with a smile, saying the consultation was "very fine".

The Russian delegation, headed by the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losiukov, will hold consultations separately later Tuesday with delegations from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea.

The six-party talks, involving China, the DPRK, the United States, the ROK, Russia and Japan, are scheduled to start on Feb. 25.

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2004)