Bush seeks S Korea's cooperation on NKorea

HANOI, Nov 18: President George W Bush won South Korea's agreement today to fully implement UN sanctions against North Korea but failed to convince Seoul to join a US plan to intercept North Korean ships suspected of carrying arms.

Bush met Roh on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the first of a series of bilateral meetings as he seeks to bolster the fragile international coalition pressuring North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

He was to later meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then they were to have a three-way meeting with Roh. Bush was also meeting leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of an effort to assure the United States will remain engaged in Asia.

After North Korea's October 9 nuclear test, the UN Security Council banned trade of goods and transfer of funds to the North that could aid its arms programmes. Washington has been pressing Seoul and other governments to take a tough stand toward Pyongyang.

''We agreed on the principle that North Korea should dismantle its nuclear weapons and its nuclear programme. We also agreed that our two countries fully support the UN Security Council Resolution 1718, and our two countries will implement this resolution in a faithful manner,'' Roh said.

But Roh stopped short of complete support for the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative aimed at intercepting North Korean ships, fearing it would lead to armed clashes.

''Although the Republic of Korea is not taking part in the full scope of the PSI, we support principles and goals of the PSI and will fully cooperate in preventing WMD (weapons of mass destruction) materials in the North Korea region,'' Roh told reporters as Bush sat nearby.

Bush, who considers the possibility that North Korea may export nuclear materials and technology as a grave threat, said he and Roh agreed on ''our mutual desire to effectively enforce the will of the world.'' South Korea has said it would not pull the plug on two projects, a mountain resort and a factory park, run by South Korean companies in North Korea that have been criticised for providing cold cash to the North's leaders.

US officials were pleased with what they heard from Roh.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said said Roh made the point that ''(within) the political constraints he faces, he was trying to do what he can.'' Bush said he was committed to a peaceful resolution of the North Korean problem and repeated US pledges to enter into security arrangements and move forward with new economic incentives should Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons ambitions.

REUTERS

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