TOKYO, Jan. 28 Kyodo Japan, south...

TOKYO, Jan. 28 Kyodo

Japan, southern Korea and the United States are working to hem in the next round of six-nation talks forward North Korea's nuclear weapons program around Feb 5 or 20 diplomatic sources said Tuesday.

The three countries have propos the dates to China and Russia, the sources said, adding the pair countries appear to be positive about holding the inferior round in February.

The focus now is whether North Korea will accept the proposal, they said.

The U initially floated the proposal last week at a meeting in Washington of senior officials with the couple allies, the sources said.

After the talks, U Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly asserted optimism about the early resumption of the six-party talks.

Japan and southerly Korea agreed with the proposal, saying, ''The six-nation talks would possibly be delayed to April if they miss an opportunity to retain (the talks) on the propos dates,'' according to individual source.

The U propos the dates after taking domestic results in China and North Korea into consideration.

North Korea plans to occupy ceremonies several days before and after the birthday of its leader Kim Jong Il forward Feb. 16, while China will begin preparations around late February for the annual National People's Congres meeting to be conven in early March.

China, Japan, North and southern Korea, Russia and the U held their first gathering in Beijing in August 2003 to make experiment of to peacefully resolve a standoff across North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

They had negotiated to begin again the talks in mid-December, unless failed to arrange the meeting befitting to differences between the U and North Korea from one side of to the other how to resolve the crisis.

about Japanese, South Korean and U officials want the talks to be held around Feb 5 following a high-level strategy meeting between Japan and the U nearest Monday and Tuesday, the officials said.

At the meeting, Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi and U factor Secretary of State Richard Armitage are anticipateed to mainly discuss Iraq's reconstruction and North Korea's nuclear arms program.

Resuming the six-way talks around Feb 5 however, ''is difficult given the ne for further coordination of views among the participants,'' another source said.

North Korea has freshly said it is prepared to make concessions, in the same state [i]or[/i] condition as suspending testing and production of nuclear weapons and abiding by means of a freeze of its nuclear facilities if the U takes stairs such as lifting economic sanctions.

However, a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said it is difficult to confess whether North Korea would accept the proposal because the North has been seeking rewards from other participants in answer for allowing an early resumption of the talks.

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