"It is yet early to say what their results will be but we do hope that the decision of Pyongyang (on the withdrawal from the negotiating process) is not final", he noted.
He did not cite a date for the consultations. "Only one day has passed and we are still studying statements from different parties, thinking in what form they may take place. No specific timeframe has been fixed but specific plans for communication and talking are in place", Mr.Alekseev said.
He recalled that actually every participant in the six-lateral talks has voiced the hope that Pyongyang's decision will be revised.
Commenting on the possibility of a direct dialog between the United States and the DPRK, the Russian diplomat noted that, in the opinion of Russia, the six-party format is optimal. "But we do not rule out the possibility of bilateral meetings, including between the United States and the DPRK", he said.
Since August 2003 three rounds of talks have been held in Beijing with the participation of six countries of the region (the DPRK, the United States, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea) on winding up the North Korean nuclear program. In September 2004 the dialog deadlocked because of the contradictions between Washington and Pyongyang. Americans demanded from the DPRK admitting the existence of the uranium program, which Pyongyang negated, and dumping all the nuclear programs, while the North Korean side accused the United States of being hostile.
On Thursday the DPRK Foreign Ministry circulated a statement, in which Pyongyang declares withdrawal for an indefinite time from the six-lateral talks and admits the presence of "defensive" nuclear weapons in the country.
