Bush Condemns North Korea Nuclear Test Claim, Vows UN Response

President George W. Bush issued a statement Monday after North Korea announced it had carried out its first nuclear weapons test, saying Washington was working to verify the claim but that the announcement alone posed a threat to international peace.

Bush said he spoke that morning with leaders of China, South Korea, Russia, and Japan, and that all parties agreed the reported test was unacceptable and required an immediate response from the UN Security Council.

The president described North Korea as a leading supplier of missile technology to countries including Iran and Syria, and warned that any transfer of nuclear weapons or materials to states or outside groups would be treated as a serious threat to the United States, with Pyongyang held fully responsible.

Bush also reaffirmed US security commitments to regional allies, including South Korea and Japan, and said the six-party talks offered North Korea a path toward better relations and greater prosperity, a path he said the nuclear test only moved further out of reach.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.