The United States and North Korea struggled to bridge differences over how to dismantle Pyongyang's nuclear programs today, as a fourth day of six-party talks opened with little sign of a deal.
The negotiations, which resumed this week after a 13-month hiatus, have seen the parties retreat to familiar territory, with North Korea demanding aid and security guarantees before scrapping its nuclear programs and the United States insisting the communist state ends its programs first.
"Although the United States and North Korea have had in-depth discussions, my understanding is that they have not narrowed their differences to the extent that they can claim progress," a Japanese delegate said.
The pattern of unusually frequent and lengthy one-on-one exchanges on the sidelines of the talks signals a shift in the US approach and has raised hopes for a positive outcome.
The two are set to meet again today. "The discussions we had yesterday involved our ideas on how to get to the 'denuclearisation' of the Korean peninsula and their ideas," US chief negotiator Christopher Hill told reporters.
"I'm not saying they were identical ... but we heard some of their ideas which very much correspond to some of the ideas that we have," he said today.
Chinese delegation spokesman Qin Gan said yesterday that talks were moving in the right direction but added: "It's far too early to say if it's a breakthrough or a breakdown."
No end date has been set for the talks. The parties were holding bilateral meetings this morning and all six - both Koreas, the United States, Japan, Russia and host China - are set to meet in the afternoon.
Mr Hill has expressed a desire to start drafting a joint document today, setting out agreed principles that would form the basis for negotiating an eventual agreement. Agreed joint statements have failed to materialize at three previous rounds.
Chief Russian envoy Alexander Alexeyev said he was flying back to Moscow tomorrow and it was possible that other delegates might return home for weekend consultations, but Mr Hill said his team was prepared for a long haul.