Bush, Abe cite concern on North Korea

CAMP DAVID, Md, Apr 27 (Reuters) US President George W Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged today to take a tougher stance toward North Korea if it fails to follow through on commitments toward nuclear disarmament.

Bush and Abe both expressed concern that North Korea had missed a mid-April deadline to start shutting its Yongbyon nuclear reactor.

Bush said the United States and its allies are willing to allow North Korea some leeway but warned the patience would eventually run out.

''Our partners in the six-party talks are patient but our patience is not unlimited,'' Bush said as he stood next to Abe at a news conference.

Following talks at the Camp David mountain retreat that was cloaked in fog, Abe said he and Bush saw ''eye-to-eye'' on the need to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear programs.

''They need to respond properly on these issues, otherwise we will have to take a tougher response on our side,'' Abe said.

North Korea's April 14 deadline for closing down the reactor was part of an agreement reached in February for Pyongyang to take disarmament steps in return for energy aid and security assurances.

Bush and Abe had what Abe described as a ''candid exchange'' on North Korea. But they also discussed trade, specifically ways to make progress in the Doha round of negotiations, and Bush made a point of mentioning that he was serving American beef hamburgers to the Japanese delegation, in a strong hint Japan should lift a ban on US beef imports.

Some Japanese officials have been worried that Washington was softening its stance toward North Korea. The Bush administration's support for the February deal marked a shift from a hardline stance it has taken toward Pyongyang during Bush's six years in office.

Reflecting that concern, Abe said the state of the six-party talks aimed at getting North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program was regrettable.

Both Bush and Abe are committed to bolstering their countries' security relationship.

Abe's two-day US visit is his first since becoming prime minister in September. U.S. officials said the visit to Camp David was as much about building a personal rapport as it was about the security and economic issues they discussed.

REUTERS AGL PM2210