South Korea would use the three-week recess of the fourth six-party talks to make every diplomatic effort to narrow differences between the US and North Korea, said a South Korean senior official on Monday.  

"In a sense, Seoul's diplomatic role and ability has been put to a real test," the unnamed official was quoted by South Korean Yonhap News Agency as saying.

"It is Seoul that can broker a deal that seems to be difficult to make between Pyongyang and Washington," said the official.

He also said the recess will not sap the energy of the talks, but will inject fresh momentum into them.

He said since all the stances were on the table, full-scale negotiations will start in the second stage of the fourth round of talks.

"The talks are now aimed at finding a more fundamental measure for regional peace as well as ending the nuclear issue," he said.

Last Sunday, the six parties, China, the US, Russia, Japan, North and South Korea, decided to take a recess for the fourth round of six-party talks and to embark on second stage of the talks in the last week of August.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2005)