Head of the Russian delegation to the second round of six-party talks Alexander Losiukov said Wednesday that solving of the Korean nuclear issue will be a long-drawn process and entails compromise and patience from all sides.   

Losiukov, Russian deputy foreign minister, said at the opening ceremony that the Russian side is "discreetly optimistic" about the new round of talks.

"The Russian side wants to reiterate that the ultimate goal of the talks is to guarantee peace, security and cooperation on the basis of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula," he said.

"We hope that the parties will reach concrete agreements to pave the way for further steps. Russia is ready to cooperate constructively with the other sides and make every effort possible for the talks to yield positive results," he said.

The talks involve China, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan. The first round of six-party talks was held in Beijing last August.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2004)