4TH ROUND OF SIX-SIDED TALKS ON DPRK NUCLEAR PROBLEM TO BE POSTPONED?

MOSCOW, September 14 (RIA Novosti) - "The fourth round of the six-sided talks on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in late September, which we agreed upon at the third round in June in Beijing, might fail to take place," RIA Novosti was told by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev who held talks with his South Korean counterpart Li Su Hek on Tuesday.

"We agreed to continue intensive consultations in different formats and hope that the fourth round will surely take place if not in late September than later," said the source.

The deputy foreign minister said that the meeting showed that the Russian and South Korean positions are close as regards the ultimate aim of the six-sided talks, which means full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

High-ranking diplomats from Russia, the U.S., China, the DPRK, South Korea and Japan are taking part in the talks held in Beijing from 2003. Their aim is to find mutually acceptable ways to terminate the North Korean nuclear program. The last round took place in late June 2004, and the sides agreed to meet again in late September. However, the DPRK said it was not ready to continue dialogue in due time.

Observers note that talks may complicate the facts of holding secret nuclear experiments in South Korea in the beginning of 1980s, which were revealed recently.