The US delegation arrived in Beijing Sunday afternoon for the fourth round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue scheduled to begin Tuesday. 

The US delegation, headed by Christopher Hill, assistant secretary of state for East Asia-Pacific affairs, will work with the other five parties to discuss the settlement of the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Hill declined to make any comments on the timetable and expected results of the upcoming talks, responding to Xinhua reporter's question upon his arrival at the Beijing International Airport.

On the nuclear issue, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Pyongyang's decision to return to the six-party talks is "a very good step," but it's only "the first step."

The US will repeat its proposal raised in the last round of talks, which "addresses the concerns of all parties and it's the way to move forward to resolve the nuclear issue," according to White House spokesperson Scott McClellan.

The fourth round of the six-party talks is scheduled to open on Tuesday, but parties concerned did not set a time limit for the talks.

The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula broke out in October 2002. In order to peacefully settle the nuclear issue, China, the US, Russia, Japan, South and North Korea have convened three rounds of six-party talks in Beijing since August 2003.

Previous three rounds of the talks have failed to resolve the nuclear standoff.

(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2005)