'Effort to disarm NKorea making progress'

Washington, Aug 31: US President George W Bush said he thought the effort to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program was making progress and he hoped full disarmament could be accomplished by the time his term ends in early 2009.

In an interview yesterday with Asian newspapers before an Asia-Pacific summit in Sydney next week, Bush expressed frustration that Washington and its allies were still trying to persuade Pyongyang to follow through with a 2005 agreement to disclose and dismantle its nuclear weapons program.

''On the other hand, a lot has happened in the last couple of months that would lead me to believe that we're on -- we're making progress,'' Bush said.

He added that he considered the North Korea issue ''unfinished business'' for his administration.

''The question is, can it happen before I'm through? Yes, it can. I hope so,'' he said.

Progress in the push to end North Korea's nuclear programs has been slow since September 2005, when South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States reached a deal with Pyongyang in which it agreed to give up the weapons program in exchange for economic and diplomatic benefits.

While North Korea has shut down its nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyon and received 50,000 tonnes of fuel oil as called for by a February. 13 deal, many analysts expect its next phase -- the disablement and the declaration -- to be much harder.

Bush is due to arrive in Sydney on Tuesday for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. He will be spending much of the day on Wednesday with Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a staunch ally, and will also hold other bilateral meetings later in the week, including one with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

The formal meeting of APEC leaders takes place on the weekend.

Bush said the top issue for the United States will be giving a push to the stalled Doha Round of world trade negotiations.

''This will be an opportunity for the leaders of the APEC summit to express their desire to see the Doha Round succeed,'' Bush said.

He said he was also keen to discuss climate change in hopes of laying the groundwork for a meeting he is hosting of top economies on the subject in Washington in late September.

Discussing the US relationship with China, Bush said it was a complex one but that in terms of trade, he saw a lot of opportunities in China.

''We want there to be free trade and fair trade; we want the currency to float,'' Bush said.

He described his relationship with the Chinese president as warm and cordial.

''I like him. I like to talk to him. He's a smart man,'' Bush said. ''We can share issues together. I can say, what are your biggest problems, and he can say to me, what are your problems.

In other words, we've got a personal relationship.''

Reuters
>