The delegations of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue agreed Friday afternoon to continue their meetings on Saturday as the parties concerned will continue to work for narrowing down differences.

 

The talks are yet to touch upon conclusion or drafting a joint statement, said an official of the South Korean delegation on condition of anonymity.

 

The parties concerned will continue to discuss how to narrow down differences and push forward this round of the six-party talks, said the official.

 

This round of talks has already lasted longer than the previous three rounds, but few signs of progress had been made so far.

 

The talks set no deadline for its duration since they started on Tuesday at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing. 

 

The fourth-round six-party talks are markedly characterized by one-on-one consultations and contacts.

 

The US and North Korea, the two major parties to the talks, have carried out their fourth consultations on Friday, but no immediate information is available. The two sides are reported to have another one-on-one meeting Saturday.

 

According to the South Korean official, the bilateral consultations among the delegations have transformed from formal meetings to small-scale contacts so that they could exchange ideas and seek consensus in a more flexible, frequent and close manner.

 

The South Korean delegation has had bilateral contacts with the US, North Korea and Russia respectively following its 90-minute consultations with the US on Friday morning, said the official.

 

The meeting among the delegation heads agreed on Friday afternoon to continue their meetings on Saturday. The meeting will be followed by more one-on-one consultations, said the official.

 

There is no word on when the talks will close, nor will the talks be suspended, said the official. However, neither conclusion or drafting a joint statement was talked about at the meeting of the delegation heads on Friday afternoon.

 

Since Russian delegation head Alexander Alexeyev will leave Beijing for Moscow on Saturday due to domestic affairs, the delegation deputy will remain in Beijing, said the official.

 

If necessary, Alexeyev will come back again to participate in the talks, the official added.

 

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2005)