MOSCOW, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The Chinese hosts of six-party talks on North Korea have circulated to participants a draft plan on initial steps for ending Pyongyang's nuclear programmes, Russia's RIA news agency said on Thursday.

It quoted unnamed diplomatic sources in the Chinese capital as saying the draft was distributed to national delegations late at night. Russia is one of the particpants in the talks.

Earlier on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she was cautiously optimistic it may be possible to begin carrying out a September 2005 agreement on ending North Korea's nuclear programmes.

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