Bush 'concerned' over missiles

2006-07-06 10:09

Washington - US President George W Bush said on Wednesday the failure of a North Korean missile thought capable of hitting US territory did not lessen his concerns about Pyongyang's weapons programmes.

The Taepodong 2 "didn't stay up very long, it tumbled into the sea, which doesn't, frankly, diminish my desire to solve this problem," Bush said in his first public remarks on Pyongyang's seven-missile volley in 14 hours on Tuesday.

"We will hold them to account," said the president, who told reporters he would be personally involved "on the phone" in an effort to rally world leaders behind a unified reaction to the crisis.

Bush said that US officials were still analysing data from the long-range Taepodong 2 missile launch but dismissed the other missiles launched as "pretty routine weapons" and said the immediate political impact was that North Korea was worse off.

'Sad for the people of North Korea'

"What these firings of the rockets have done is, they've isolated themselves further, and that's sad for the people of North Korea," Bush said as he met with his Georgian counterpart, Mikheil Saakashvili."

"I am deeply concerned about the plight of the people of North Korea. I would hope that the government would agree to verifiably abandoning its weapons programmes," the US president said.

With China seemingly taking a softer line than other US partners in the six-nation nuclear talks with North Korea, Bush insisted that the Chinese "have played and will continue to play an important role" in those negotiations.

"It's my view that the best way to solve this problem diplomatically is through, for there to be more than one nation speaking to North Korea, more than America voicing our opinions," he said.

'A better way forward'

"Therefore, the five of us - Russia, South Korea, Japan, China and the United states - spoke with one voice about the rocket launches and we will work together to continue to remind the leader of North Korea (Kim Jong-Il) that there is a better way forward for his people," he said.

Bush said that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been in touch with her counterparts overseas and added: "I, of course, will be on the phone as well.

"We want to send - to continue to send - a clear message: That there is a better way forward for the leader of North Korea," he said. A senior aide confirmed that Bush meant he would be reaching out to world leaders.

Bush said US officials were still puzzling over Kim's intentions with the dramatic launches, which occurred while the United States was enjoying its Independence Day national holiday.

"It's hard to understand his intentions," said Bush.

"So we're talking with our friends and allies on the subject."

- AFP