The deputy chief negotiators' session for the ongoing six-party talks, which began in Beijing at 3:19 Monday afternoon, just concluded, said an official of the delegation of the Republic of Korea (ROK), who did not disclose any details. The meeting, lasting about three hours and a half, was a working-level consultation. According to the press center of the Chinese side, a similar meeting will be held Tuesday, but the agenda has not yet been decided. The talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue inched into the seventh day, and the process of consultations on the draft of a common document was "rather well" though there was "difference on language," US delegation head Christopher Hill said earlier Monday. Chief negotiators from the six nations had frequent shuttle contacts for in-depth discussions on the wording of the draft on Monday morning, according to the Chinese delegation. The Russian delegation on Monday denied major differences in the ongoing negotiation and said the talks did not reach an impasse. "There were no major differences, nor did the talks come to a standstill," said V. Yermolov, deputy head of the Russian delegation. However, according to Hill, also US assistant secretary of state, it was still a "tough task" for all the parties to reach a consensus, and a lot of patience was needed.
(Xinhua News Agency August 1, 2005)
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