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Beijing: The United States and North Korea had their first face-to-face meeting in four months here this afternoon as part of the six-nation negotiations on how to end North Korea’s nuclear program, but diplomats played down prospects for an early breakthrough.
    The talks are at the Diaoyutai state guesthouse, a sprawling, garden-filled compound in western Beijing, with negotiators gathering around a giant hexagonal table built to accmmodate the six delegations.
    The Chinese placed the Americans and the North Koreans in adjacent comers, which may have facilitated the one-on-one discussion between Mr. Kelly and Mr. Kim, which took place during a break in the afternoon session. The two spoke for 30 minutes, two Asian diplomats confirmed.
    The early indications of how the talks are going varied. A South Korean who took part in the meetings described North Korea as "willing to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue," Chinese officials also put a positive spin on the talks. "I heard talks this morning and this after- noon were very successful," the foreign minister, Li Zhaoxing, told delegates during a reception.
    But Japanese and Russian participants were, however, more cautious. The Russian deputy foreign minister, Aleksandr Losyukov, described the negotiations as fragile."So far, the countries have put forward a number of preliminary demands, which are blocking the development of these talks," he told Russian reporters in Beijing. "I would not say that I am feeling great optimism."