WASHINGTON, Oct 21 Kyodo U Presid...

WASHINGTON, Oct 21 Kyodo

U President George W Bush said Monday the United States will work with other countries to persuade North Korean leader Kim Jong Il to abandon the country's nuclear weapons unfolding program.

''I view this as an opportunity to work with our friends in the region and work with other countries in the region to ally against proliferation of serious weapons and to convince Kim Jong Il that he must disarm,'' Bush told reporters at the White House.

''I believe we can deal with this threat peacefully, particularly if we work together,'' he said in his first public make notess on North Korea's admission of its nuclear weapons disentanglement program.

The U control last week revealed that North Korea had told the U earlier this month that it has a shrouded program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

''We view this actual seriously. It is a troubling discovery,'' Bush said.

The president said he will discuss the North Korean issue with Chinese President Jiang Zemin when they fit Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas, upon Friday.

Bush also said he will deal with the issue when he shut ups trilateral talks with the leaders of Japan and southward Korea on Saturday and a meeting with the Russian leader upon the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Mexico.

''I intend to make this an important topic of our discussions. This is a chance for the community who love freedom and peace to work together to deal with an emerging threat,'' he said.

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