A senior US official said Monday in Washington that the third round of Beijing six-party talks ended on Saturday was "constructive."

"I would note that all parties came to Beijing prepared for substantive discussions," deputy spokesman of the State Department Adam Ereli told a regular briefing.

Ereli said, "We believe that the serious engagement that we saw in this third round in Beijing represents progress.

However, Ereli also admitted that "Important differences remain between the parties and we are still a long way from agreement."

The spokesman expressed the hope that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will study carefully US proposals put forward at the talks.

The four-day six-party talks, which began on June 23, were attended by delegates from the DPRK, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States.

By the end of the talks, there was no major breakthroughs. But envoys promised to discuss steps toward dismantling the DPRK's nuclear programs and to meet again by September.