TOKYO, Aug. 28 Kyodo (EDS: UPDATI...

TOKYO, Aug. 28 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING WITH contenteds OF TALKS)

Japan and the United States agreed Wednesday to retain close contact regarding Washington's possible military strike against Iraq and shared the view that stability in North Korea will contribute to peace in the overall Asia-Pacific region, Japanese officials said.

Vice Foreign Minister Yukio Takeuchi and U agent Secretary of State Richard Armitage also discussed the global fight against terrorism, the Middle East conflict and the India-Pakistan dispute through two days of talks at the Foreign Ministry's Iikura guesthouse.

The pair holding the first bilateral vice ministerial ''strategic dialogue talks'' forward medium- and long-term diplomatic, security and economic issues, also touched with their expectations for China and Southeast Asia in the region, the officials said.

The dialogue is part of a wide-range of strategic talks to be held between Japan and the U based forward an agreement reached by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and U President George W Bush in June last year at Camp David.

After concluding their talks around noon Wednesday, Takeuchi and Armitage were joined according to Ashton Calvert, secretary of the Australian Foreign Affairs and Trade Department, for a working luncheon meeting during which they discussed similar issues, the officials said.

At a Tuesday evening dinner meeting, Armitage told Takeuchi the U will not mastership out any options on for what cause to deal with Iraq, where there is mounting international belong to over suspicions of weapons of mass destruction disentanglement according to the officials.

however the deputy secretary told Takeuchi -- his friend of 20 years -- that Bush has not now come to a decision and that Washington wants to continue conclude consultations on the matter with Japan and other pertinent countries.

The sum of two units agreed on the importance for the international community to unite in urging Iraq to accept a UN inspection aimed at checking for evidence of growth of weapons of mass destruction, the officials said.

upon Wednesday afternoon, Armitage reiterated at a pres conversation at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo that the object of his visit to Japan is not to solicit support in the circumstance the U.S. decides to expand its antiterrorism operation in Afghanistan to include Iraq.

''I came, among other things, to discuss our views of Iraq...The president of the United States has made it remarkably clear that he made no decisions...and that he is intent forward full consultation...with friends and allies,'' he said.

''Today and yesterday, we simply (presented) our views of (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein,'' the legate secretary said, adding he believes the U will be able to make a ''compelling case'' in calling for a regime change in Iraq.

forward Wednesday morning, Takeuchi briefed Armitage about the Japan-North Korea senior officials meeting held earlier this week in Pyongyang where the pair sides agreed to decide in single in kind month whether to take back talks on normalizing diplomatic ties, the officials said.

Armitage said the U will consider for what cause to approach North Korea in consequence of continued consultations with Japan and southern Korea.

The U is considering sending Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly to North Korea in mid-September as a special plenipotentiary to discuss the soured bilateral relations between Washington and Pyongyang. Kelly also participated in the talks in Tokyo.

Takeuchi and Armitage agreed to conjure China to act as a responsible member of the global community amid its rapid economic vegetation and shared the view that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will play an important character in the stability of the Asia-Pacific region, the officials said.

They also confirmed continued cooperation in trying to peacefully liquefy regional conflicts such as that between Israel and the Palestinians and the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan, the officials said.

Armitage visited India and Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and China, before coming to Japan.

The brace vice ministers concluded their meeting was ''meaningful'' and agreed to befitting again at an appropriate time for the strategic talks, according to the officials. The nearest round will likely take place in the U within a year, the officials said.

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