The six parties involved in the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue on Monday made their final attempt to clinch a deal, but no breakthrough was announced till late night.

 

The talks entered the fifth day Monday with energy aid still as the focus of negotiations.

 

Instead of returning to their hotels, all chief negotiators stayed in the State Diaoyutai Guesthouse by late Monday night.

 

A series of one-on-one talks were held after the supper, involving North Korea and the US, according to the press center.

 

"The result will come out soon," a Chinese envoy said on condition of anonymity late Monday.

 

Yet envoys were said to be debating on whether to extend the negotiations for another day.

 

An official from the South Korean delegation said Monday afternoon that the talks cannot foresee an optimistic result as consultations are stretched into the end of what is expected to be the final day of negotiations.

 

The official, on condition of anonymity, said South Korea has not heard from China that the talks would conclude on Monday and the parties are still discussing a preliminary Chinese draft.

 

The draft, circulated on Thursday, reportedly proposes halting within two months the work at nuclear sites in North Korea, including the Yongbyon reactor, and supplying Pyongyang with alternative energy sources.

 

(Xinhua News Agency February 13, 2007)