U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Saturday in Seoul that his government supports an early resumption of the six-party talks on the nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula.

Hill told reporters here that the United States backs the initiative to hold a gathering of six parties -- China, the United States, Russia, South Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Japan -- to find a breakthrough to the stalemate of nuclear issues on the Korean Peninsula.

Hill, who is also the top U.S. negotiator for the six-party talks, visited Beijing on Friday and met with Chinese officials including Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. He plans to travel to Japan and Russia after his legs in Beijng and Seoul.

The United States can have bilateral talks with DPRK on the sidelines of the six-way talks, Hill said after meeting with his South Korean counterpart Chun Yung-woo and Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon in Seoul.

"When they come back in the six-party process, we can have as many meetings as possible. Indeed, we can enhance the number of meetings, but we are not going to do this outside of the six-party talks," he said.

Hill arrived Seoul on Friday and will leave for Tokyo on Sunday.

Source: Xinhua