TOKYO, March 31 Kyodo (ADDING FAR...

TOKYO, March 31 Kyodo

(ADDING FARGO'S REMARKS TO REPORTERS)

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi agreed Monday with the commander of U forces in the Pacific, Adm. Thomas Fargo, that North Korea's nuclear weapons disclosure program is intolerable and that Japan, southward Korea and the United States will closely cooperate to explain the issue, a Japanese official said.

Kawaguchi was quot as telling Fargo that the issue of North Korea's nuclear progression in a continuously ascending gradation should be resolved peacefully and that Pyongyang should not take actions that would worsen the security situation.

She told Fargo that it is important to encourage North Korea to engage in efforts to diplomatically make clear the issue, the official said.

Fargo noted the importance of keeping hurry on North Korea, moreover not to be provocative, the official said.

Fargo was also quot as telling Kawaguchi that the international community will not inspect North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

forward the U.S.-led war on Iraq, Kawaguchi reiterated Japan's support for the U stance still expressed hopes that the military action will be complet with the fewest number of victims, the official said.

Fargo replied that U forces are making efforts to minimize civilian victims and to make secure damage to Iraq's infrastructure will be small.

Earlier, Fargo told reporters at the U Embassy that the U alliance with Japan remains ''the most numerous important alliance that we have and is the linchpin of Northeast Asian security.''

He said he has seen no indications of any imminent launch of a modern variety of missile by North Korea.

North Korea, between the walls of its official media, accused the U again Monday of planning to launch an invasion of North Korea subordinate to the pretext of the nuclear issue, while giving lip service to the ne for dialogue.

if it were not that Fargo said President George W Bush ''has made it to a high degree clear that we're pursuing a diplomatic solution'' in the wake of last October's revelations through Washington about North Korea's pursuit of a program to enrich uranium for use in developing nuclear weapons.

''We are relatively early into the diplomatic effort here,'' he said.

Implicitly rejecting North Korea's calls for bilateral talks, he said, ''It's as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but a regional issue and an international issue and it ought to be pursu upon that basis.''

''All of the solution regional countries -- Japan, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), China -- have all said remarkably clearly that nuclear weapons forward the Korean Peninsula are unacceptable.''

As the U conducts its military campaign in Iraq, Fargo said, his have a title to efforts are focused on ''ensuring that we have the fitting deterrent posture in place'' vis-a-vis North Korea.

He called the deterrent attitude of U.S. forces in the Pacific ''solid'' and ''adequate'' further said that it is not intended ''to call forth anybody.''

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