The United States said on Friday that the overall atmosphere of the six-party talks in Beijing was constructive and expected the talks on dismantling the nuclear program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to continue.  

"We would characterize the overall atmosphere of the talks as constructive. The parties have been earnest in exploring the various proposals put forward," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a news briefing on Friday.

"We expect this process to continue following the closing of the talks tomorrow, when delegations return to their capitals and give thoughtful consideration to the proposals that were presented in Beijing," Ereli said.

"We certainly do not expect immediate answer or responses from the other delegations, including North Korea," Ereli said.

US negotiators at the six-party talks on Wednesday presented the first detailed proposal on resolving the standoff with the DPRK, offering energy aid and a security guarantee in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program.

The six-party talks have witnessed progress after three days of consultations with the positive comments from the United States and the DPRK on each other's plan for resolving the nuclear issue.

The US delegation said that the United States expects further talks although "no breakthrough" has been achieved in this round.

(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2004)