TOKYO, Feb 3 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed Thursday to try to bring North Korea back to six-nation talks and remind the Stalinist state of world concerns about its nuclear ambitions.
The two leaders reaffirmed their alliance on the key security issue in an eight-minute telephone conversation which followed President Bush's State of the Union address, the foreign ministry said in a press release.
Bush and Koizumi agreed that "it is important to continue telling North Korea through six-nation talks how serious the world is with regard to the North Korean question," the statement said.
Bush also thanked Japan for its support for Sunday's elections in Iraq while Koizumi paid respect to US sacrifices there, the statement said.
"Iraq. North Korea. Let's work hard," Koizumi bluntly told reporters at his official residence, when asked what he had discussed with Bush.
In his address to the US Congress late Wednesday, Bush avoided inflammatory language aimed directly at North Korea. Three years ago he named the communist country as part of an "axis of evil" with Iran and Iraq.
Bush said in the address: "We are working closely with governments in Asia to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions."
After three inconclusive rounds of six-nation talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear arms programme, North Korea shunned a fourth round originally set for last September, complaining of "hostile" US policies.
Pyongyang has made it known that it wants to return to dialogue and says it is ready to scrap its nuclear weapons ambitions in return for concessions from Washington.
It was seen to have waited for Bush's State of the Union address to rework its policy toward Washington.
Koizumi, who has vowed to stand closely with Bush on key world issues, told reporters earlier Thursday that the Bush address did not signify any change to his "basic position."
"He (Bush) has been clearly saying all along that he hopes for a diplomatic and peaceful settlement through the six-nation talks," Koizumi said.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda, the top spokesman for Koizumi's government, told a regular briefing that the Bush address could possibly lead to an "early resumption" of the six-nation talks.

02/03/2005 14:45 GMT - AFP