BEIJING, July 27 (RIA Novosti) - A plenary session marked the beginning of the second day of six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program here Wednesday with all the negotiating parties present, Russia, the United States, China, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea.
The delegation heads may also meet later today. Alexander Alexeyev, the Russian deputy foreign minister and head of the Russian delegation, told journalists yesterday the plenary session's agenda included each party presenting its position on the issue at hand.
Alexeyev said the session would enable the parties to gage the possible results of the negotiations, adding that the Russian delegation held several bilateral meetings yesterday that resulted in a "very cautious optimism" about the possibility of significant progress in this fourth round of talks.
The diplomat said Russia has increased its efforts to maintain a flexible relationship between the key players - the U.S. and North Korea.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang was generally positive about the first day's results, noting the intense bilateral negotiations that took place. However, he said some difficulties remained "caused by several factors, including a historical one."
The diplomat called for flexibility, patience, and sincerity among the negotiating parties, particularly the U.S. and North Korea.
The fourth round of the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program began in Beijing on July 26, after about a year's suspension. Initially scheduled for October 2004, the talks were postponed when North Korean negotiators refused to take part, citing what they described as a hostile climate created by the U.S.
