The fourth round of six-party talks has had a good beginning and is proceeding in a sincere atmosphere, said an official with the South Korean delegation Tuesday.  

The official told a news briefing in condition of anonymity that during the opening session of the new round of six-party talks on Tuesday morning, all people can sense the willingness of the six parties to seek substantial achievements through negotiation, and can catch the attitudes of all parties concerned to be more cooperative.

After the opening session, the South Korean delegation held bilateral contacts with counterparts from the US, Russia and China on separate occasions, discussing how to make the negotiation achieve progress, the official said.

"We understand more about each other through the contacts," he noted.

South Korea started from Tuesday its second round of bilateral contacts with the other five parties, involving China, North Korea, the US, Russia and Japan, with a purpose to gradually find the common grounds for all concerned parties.

The fourth round of six-party talks will continue its plenary meeting on Wednesday, and bilateral contacts will also go on.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2005)