North Korea might discuss its suspected uranium-based nuclear weapons programme with the United States at six-party talks next week in Beijing, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday.
And Russia's top Asia diplomat was quoted as saying on Thursday that Moscow saw the chance for "some progress" at the talks.
US and South Korean officials have said the six-party talks may hinge on a North Korean willingness to address a highly enriched uranium programme whose existence Pyongyang has denied, but of which the United States says it has strong evidence.
"North Korea has recently expressed its willingness to discuss the highly enriched uranium programme to a third country," Yonhap quoted an unidentified South Korean government official as saying.
The official said North Korea had in recent meetings with the unidentified third country backed away slightly from its adamant denial that it had a highly enriched uranium programme, although Pyongyang did not acknowledge the scheme.
US officials said this week that if Pyongyang continued to deny the uranium programme, which triggered the current nuclear controversy, the multilateral talks set to begin on February 25 in Beijing could collapse.
In Seoul, South Korean officials greeted the report cautiously.
"I cannot comment on what specifically gives rise to the expectation that the second round of six-party talks could have more positive results, but there is a sense that North Korea will be more serious in engaging itself in the talks," said a South Korean official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
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