U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told Australian television Monday that six-party talks on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) nuclear issue were likely to take place in Beijing on August 27.

Asked if the United States had a likely starting date for the talks, Armitage told ABC television: "Yes we do, probably starting around the 27th of this month in Beijing.''

But the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov as saying that the talks could begin on August 26.

Interfax quoted Fedotov as saying "that (date) is one of the suggestions,'' adding that the date would be announced after participants in the "intensive discussions'' about the talks reach an agreement.

However the Chinese Foreign Ministry was unable to be reached yesterday to confirm the date of the meeting, which will bring together the United States, the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan and Russia.

Meanwhile, the United States said yesterday that a senior US official, condemned by the DPRK as "human scum'' for a personalized attack on its leader, would not take part in the Beijing talks.

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