Bush pleased with N Korea's return to talks

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) President George W Bush said today he was very pleased North Korea had agreed to return to nuclear talks but he would be sending teams to the region to ensure the UN Security Council resolution on sanctions is enforced.

''Obviously we've still got a lot of work to do,'' Bush told reporters. He thanked China for ''encouraging the meeting that got the agreement to get the six-party talks restarted.'' Bush's statement followed word from the Chinese Foreign Ministry that North Korea, the United States and China had agreed in an informal meeting in Beijing to resume talks at a time convenient for all six parties in the near future.

The other three countries involved in the talks, which broke off last November, are South Korea, Japan and Russia.

The UN Security Council voted on October 14 to impose financial and arms sanctions on North Korea after it conducted its first nuclear test on October 9.

''We'll be sending teams to the region to work with our partners to make sure that the current United Nations Security Council resolution is enforced, but also to make sure the talks are effective,'' Bush said.

REUTERS PDM HS2145