BEIJING, July 27 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea and the United States still have opposing stances on the issue of North Korea's nuclear weapons cache, said Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alekseyev. "The analysis of speeches of the U.S. and North Korean chief delegates at a Wednesday plenary session proves that serious contradictions on essential problems remain," said Alekseyev, who is heading the Russian delegation at the six-nation negotiations on the issue.
He said Wednesday saw no breakthroughs, as the parties continued to hold bilateral meetings, but the rapprochement of the North Korean and U.S. positions is the key.
Alekseyev said much depends on the Thursday bilateral meetings between U.S. and North Korean delegates.
North Korean chief delegate Kim Gyo Gwang put forward a number of preliminary conditions for the United States at the Wednesday session, he said.
The parties are still cautiously optimistic about the results of the fourth round, he said.
The six-nation talks involving Russia, North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China and Japan were launched in August 2003.
Three rounds of the six-nation talks were held to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear program. The fourth round scheduled for late September 2004 was postponed when North Korean negotiators refused to participate, citing what they called a hostile climate created by the United States.
North Korea demanded clarity on South Korea's uranium and plutonium experiments, conducted since 1982.
