Bush works to keep pressure on N. Korea
(AP)Updated: 2006-11-19 10:09
HANOI, Vietnam - Lobbying world leaders, President Bush lined up support Saturday for pressuring North Korea to prove it is serious about dismantling its nuclear weapons program.
 U.S. President George W. Bush, center, speaks as South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, left, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe listen during their trilateral meeting held on the sideline of APEC summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006. [AP] |
Bush used a summit of Pacific Rim countries to consult individually with leaders of the four other nations engaged with North Korea in nuclear disarmament talks, stalled for more than a year but now on the verge of resumption. Those talks were expected to win endorsement Sunday from all 21 participants in the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
Nearly two weeks after election losses weakened his presidency, Bush faced questions from summit partners about the Democratic takeover of Congress and the message of disapproval about the Iraq war.
"He, of course, reassured them that, in terms of the foreign policy of the country, he was firm in his views and would be continuing that foreign policy along current lines," said National Security Adviser Steve Hadley.
Bush on Saturday explored North Korea strategy with Japan's new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, a hard-liner toward Pyongyang, and with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who has reservations about the U.S. approach.
He was seeking advice Sunday from the leaders of China and Russia.
In this communist country, Bush also was making a pointed effort to encourage religious tolerance. He and his wife, Laura, were to attend services Sunday at Cua Bac Church, a concrete basilica built by the French more than a century ago. They were to join about 500 worshippers, split between Catholics and Protestants.
Afterward, Bush was plunging back into nuclear diplomacy. He was to meet with President Hu Jintao of China, whose country exerts more influence on North Korea than any other. The two leaders also were expected to discuss rising trade tensions between their countries and U.S. concerns about China's big military budget.
He also was to discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the two have sharp differences, they are celebrating an agreement that would pave the way for Russia to join the World Trade Organization.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who stressed that the world must act firmly but "extremely cautiously" in its approach to the North Korean nuclear program, said the summit statement to be issued Sunday would not go beyond - and would in fact repeat the recent U.N. Security Council resolution on North Korea.
Aside from church, Bush has had virtually no public appearances in Vietnam or contact with locals. Hadley suggested the president was getting a feel for the country by watching people from the windows of his armored limousine as it shuttled him around town. "We're in the midst of the Vietnamese people all the time," Hadley said.
Focused on economic problems, APEC leaders pledged major steps to resurrect WTO talks, which collapsed in July in a dispute over agricultural subsidies between the United States and Europe. They promised to make deeper reductions in farm subsidies, widen market access for agricultural goods and cut tariffs.
In his one-on-one diplomacy, Bush explored how to proceed in the negotiations with North Korea.
Hadley said the North Koreans "cannot come back just to talk," but must show they are prepared to implement a year-old agreement to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for security guarantees and aid.
"There needs to be concrete steps toward the implementation of that agreement," he said. "Now, what those steps will be is obviously something that will be discussed among the five of the six-party talks."
Officials suggested that one way for North Korea to show good faith would be to invite the return of inspectors from the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency.
"We want the North Korean leaders to hear that if it gives up its weapons - nuclear weapons ambitions that we would be willing to enter into security arrangements with the North Koreans, as well as move forward new economic incentives for the North Korean people," Bush said after an hourlong meeting with Roh.
Bush felt that he and Abe "saw eye-to-eye" on North Korea, Hadley said. He also tried to play down differences with South Korea.
Roh said he would not join completely in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative, a voluntary program of about 80 countries that calls for stopping ships suspected of trafficking in weapons of mass destruction. Roh, however, said Seoul supports the principles and goals of the system.
Hadley said there were special circumstances for South Korea remaining out of the program.
"But short of that, they have made clear to us ... that they fully support" the U.N. Security Council sanctions and "that they will cooperate to ensure that equipment related to weapons of mass destruction does not get into North Korea and does not get out of North Korea," Hadley said.
|
||
|
||
|
|