Russia is optimistic about possible results of the new round of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue in Beijing, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev said on Friday.

 

"At least, heads of the Russian delegation are optimistic about possible results. We are ready to contribute to the round success bilaterally and multilaterally," Alexeyev was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

 

The specific results of the consultations "will depend in large part on how much the delegations are responsive to each other's legitimate concerns and how much they try to accommodate each other and look for mutually acceptable solutions," he said.

 

Bilateral contacts will also matter a lot, as well as how far the delegations are prepared to act based on their joint statement stipulating the commitments of all parties, he said.

 

Russian Ambassador to China Sergei Razov will head the national delegation to the Beijing round of the negotiations among Russia, China, the US, Japan, North and South Korea on December 18.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 16, 2006)