The United States said Wednesday it remains optimistic that another round of six-party talks on the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) can be held soon and denied the process is deadlocked.  

State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters that China is "working diligently" to organize a second round and the United States, for its part, is ready to begin now.

"We support an early resumption of the talks," Ereli said. "We are ready to convene a second round as soon as possible. But I don't want to predict when that's going to be."

US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, chief US delegate to the nuclear talks, is to meet here Thursday with his negotiating counterparts from Tokyo and Seoul -- South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-Hyuck and Japanese Foreign Ministry Director-General Mitoji Yabunaka.

China hosted an initial round of six-party talks on the DPRK nuclear issue in August that included diplomats from the DPRK, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.

(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2003)