Delegations from China, Russia, the United States, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan began the six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue in Beijing Wednesday morning.

Delegations from the six countries entered a conference room around nine o'clock at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in western Beijing.

The six delegations took their seats at a hexagonal negotiation table in alphabetic order.

The six-party talks, another multilateral diplomatic endeavor for a peaceful solution of the Korean nuclear issue after the trilateral talks between China, the DPRK and the United States in April in Beijing, are scheduled to last three days.

A source said on condition of anonymity that each of the six nations will express its stand at the first day of the talks.

Prior to the six-party talks, the Chinese delegation consulted with various delegations.

Heads of the delegations to the talks are Wang Yi, Chinese vice-foreign minister, Kim Yong Il, DPRK deputy foreign minister, JamesKelly, assistant US secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Alexander Losiukov, Russian deputy foreign minister, Lee Soo-Hyuck, ROK deputy minister of foreign affairs and trade, and Mitoji Yabunaka, director-general for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau of the Foreign Ministry of Japan.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2003)