Russia is still hopeful that the fourth round of six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue would be completed successfully after a recess of three weeks, its Foreign Ministry said Monday.  

Delegations at talks focused on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and have agreed on most of the final joint document of the talks. However, "there is still no consensus on a number of essential issues," the ministry said in a statement.

"The discussions were useful and there is still hope for the successful completion of the fourth round in the near future," it added.

The six parties to the talks -- China, the US, Russia, Japan, South and North Korea -- have agreed to take a recess after 13 days of discussions and resume the talks in the week starting August 29. The talks began in Beijing on July 26.

The Russian delegation expressed gratitude to the Chinese side for its impeccable organization of the talks and stressed that all delegations had tried to make a constructive contribution to the negotiations, the ministry said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2005)