N Korea talks "positive", no conclusions-diplomat

MOSCOW, Aug 21 (Reuters) Two days of international talks in Moscow on North Korea's nuclear arms programme were ''positive'' but produced no conclusions, the head of the US delegation said today.

''We had very useful discussions amongst the six parties.

These were working discussions, no conclusions, but we will be making some recommendations to the heads of delegations for further consideration,'' Blair Hall told reporters.

''These discussions were full, they were open and given in a very cooperative spirit. The mood was very positive,'' he said, but declined to go into specifics about what was discussed.

The Moscow talks involved a working group of officials from China, Japan, Russia, the United States and the two Koreas.

It reports to the full six-party talks -- including the same countries -- the main forum for international negotiations on North Korea's nuclear programme which is due to have its next meeting around the end of this month.

North Korea last month shut its Yongbyon reactor complex that produces weapons-grade plutonium in return for 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil under the first phase of a deal brokered through the six-party talks.

The latest talks were seeking agreed definitions on what the North must do to ''disable'' its atomic facilities and declare all nuclear activities and materials.

''North Korea made its points very bluntly, very plainly, but also not confrontationally, so I think it also participated in the spirit of trying to find a way forward,'' Hall said.

''I think it's no secret we didn't have full meetings of the minds but at the same time we did air the issues.'' he said.

Vladimir Rakhmanin, the diplomat heading the Russian delegation to the Moscow talks, refused to give details of what was discussed, but said they had made progress in building trust.

''(At the last meeting) in Beijing we met around one table probably for about an hour and a half while this time we were around this table for two days,'' Rakhmanin said.

''If you look at this from the outside you might say: 'So what?' But if you understand the complexity of this problem it is a very big plus sign.'' REUTERS LPB HS1607