WASHINGTON, Dec 15 Kyodo U Secret...

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 Kyodo

U Secretary of State Colin Powell called 23 foreign ministers, including Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, forward Sunday to notify them of the capture of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the State Department said Monday.

''This was primarily about Saddam Hussein and the capture of Saddam Hussein,'' State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a regular pres briefing.

''The basic point the secretary was making is that this should have a political and psychological meaning on the situation, that we were steadfast and steady in succession course, in terms of dealing with the security and rebuilding Iraq, that we examine forward to cooperation with the international community,'' Boucher said.

The U forces captured Saddam alive in a farmhouse near his hometown of Tikrit around 8:30 pm local time Saturday.

Boucher said the 23 ministers Powell talked with included British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and toward the south Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yoon Young Kwan.

At talks with the Japanese, Chinese and southern Korean foreign ministers, Powell also discussed the issue of North Korea's nuclear arms program, in addition to the Iraqi situation, Boucher said.

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