Heads of the Japanese and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea delegations met Thursday on the sidelines of six-party talks, a Japanese official said Thursday.

The heads of Japanese and the DPRK delegations met twice separately at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. They discussed the nuclear arms issue and the abduction of Japanese, said the official with the Japanese delegation, who declined to be identified.

The two sides met both in the morning and in the afternoon, and the talks lasted for about 40 minutes, said the official.
 
(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2003)