The talks, involving diplomats from the Koreas, China, the United States, Japan and Russia, resumed in Beijing on Monday, after a 13-month break, and two months after Pyongyang reported its first successful nuclear bomb test.
"The divergence in the opinions held by each side is gradually narrowing, and we hope disagreements will be smoothed out further in the course of additional consultations tomorrow," the diplomat said.
On day two of the current round, discussions focused on a disarmament pledge made by Pyongyang last year and on U.S. financial sanctions imposed on the reclusive regime.
In September 2005, the North signed a "joint statement" committing itself to abandoning its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security guarantees. But it boycotted the six-party talks two months later, after Washington froze Pyongyang's $24 million account at a Macau bank, accusing the regime of money laundering and counterfeiting U.S. bank notes to sell weapons of mass destruction.
The sanctions were at the center of Tuesday's U.S.-North Korean one-on-one consultations between the top negotiators and financial experts.
North Korean officials also met individually with the delegations of South Korea, China, and Russia.
The North Korean nuclear disarmament talks, described by many insiders as "businesslike," are due to end Thursday, but may continue beyond that date if necessary, sources close to the negotiating process said.
