Bush seeks peaceful Korea outcome

South Korea is trying to reduce tension in the region

US President George W Bush says America has no intention of attacking renegade North Korea.

He said he hoped for a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the dispute over the country's nuclear activities.

We have no intention of invading North Korea

President Bush

His comments came as the United Nations' nuclear watchdog passed a resolution demanding that Pyongyang readmit UN inspectors and abandon its secret nuclear weapons programme.

The US has been holding talks with Japanese and South Korean officials, as concern continues to mount following North Korea's decision to reactivate a nuclear complex at Yongbyon which had been frozen under a 1994 deal with the US.

A White House spokesman said that the US would stand "shoulder-to-shoulder" with South Korea on the issue.

ElBaradei: 'Matter of weeks'

On Monday US Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly held separate talks with South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Tae-shik and Japanese diplomat Mitoji Yabunaka.

South Korea's National Security Adviser Yim Sung-joon is travelling to Washington to meet with his US counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, later this week.

Seoul plan

But the US has so far been lukewarm on a South Korean plan for resolving the conflict, believed to centre on the US giving a written guarantee of North Korea's security in exchange for North Korea scrapping its programme.

CRISIS CHRONOLOGY

16 Oct: N Korea acknowledges secret nuclear programme, US says

14 Nov: Oil shipments to N Korea halted

22 Dec: N Korea removes monitoring devices at Yongbyon nuclear plant

26 Dec: UN says 1,000 fuel rods have been moved to the plant

31 Dec: UN nuclear inspectors leave North Korea

6 Jan: IAEA demands inspectors be readmitted and secret weapons programme halted

Timeline of tensions

South Korean media reports indicate the government is pressing the US to drop its refusal to negotiate with North Korea and resume heavy fuel oil supplies to the Stalinist state.

In return, North Korea would stop an alleged programme to enrich uranium and put the Yongbyon complex back into mothballs.

"We're not looking to make some other bargain," said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

"They (North Korea) know what they need to do, and they need to come into international compliance."

'Zero tolerance'

If North Korea does not readmit UN inspectors and halt its weapons programme, the IAEA would turn the matter over to the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions or other measures.

IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei said that, although no deadline had been set, North Korea had "clearly a matter of weeks" in which to act.

"The (IAEA) board is waiting urgently for a report from me and I don't think I'll be delayed in providing a response in the very near future," he said.

All 35 member countries on the IAEA board had backed the resolution, Mr ElBaradei stressed.

He said: "There are two options for North Korea: Comply with your international obligations ... or continue defiance that will escalate into a crisis situation and go to the Security Council."