Russian delegation head Alexander Alexeyev told a press briefing yesterday that he will leave Beijing for Moscow on Saturday.  

Alexeyev, also Russian deputy foreign minister, said his deputy would remain in Beijing and he would come back "as soon as it's necessary."

Some members of the other delegations will also return home to consult with their respective governments, he said.

The fourth round of six-party talks, involving China, the US, Russia, Japan, South and North Korea, started Tuesday morning in Beijing.

Alexeyev said the atmosphere of the talks is "friendly and good," expressing his hope that the complicated Korean Peninsula nuclear issue can be settled within a couple of months.

The talks entered the third day yesterday, as the US and North Korean delegations held one-on-one talks again in the morning.

Alexeyev said during their one-on-one meeting, the two delegations thoroughly exchanged views on substantive issues.

A major task for Russia and other parties is to push forward the process of six-party talks, and to work together with the US and North Korea to find "reasonable and fair" solutions to the nuclear issue, said Alexeyev.

(Xinhua News Agency July 29, 2005)