U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday that she is "cautiously optimistic" on progress at ongoing six-party talks which was designed to solve nuclear issues on the Korean peninsula.

Speaking at a Senate hearing, Rice said, "A lot has happened since the last six-party talks."

The six-party talks, involving the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United States, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia, began in August 2003. Five rounds of the talks have been held since then.

"I'm cautiously optimistic that we may be able to begin again" to implement a September 2005 agreement in which the DPRK pledged to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees, Rice said.

"I don't count my chickens until they hatch," the top U.S. diplomat added.

After the last session of the talks which ended in December with no breakthrough, the parties resumed on Thursday in Beijing, focusing on the first steps towards denuclearization on the Korean peninsula.

Source: Xinhua