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SLUG: 2-300122 Bush / North Korea / Putin (S)
DATE: NOTE NUMBER: |
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DATE= 02/27/03 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITLE=BUSH / NORTH KOREA / PUTIN (S) NUMBER=2-300122 BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE CONTENT= INTRO: President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday discussed efforts to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program. V-O-A's Scott Stearns reports, the White House says North Korea's decision to restart a nuclear power plant will further alienate the country from the international community. TEXT: White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says President Bush and President Putin both agreed on the importance of working together to get a nuclear-weapons-free Korean peninsula. Mr. Fleischer says North Korea's decision to restart its main nuclear reactor is "troublesome behavior" that he says further isolates Pyongygang. The Bush Administration says North Korea could use the facility to help build nuclear weapons. North Korea says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and the reactor was restarted to generate badly-needed electricity. Japan and South Korea are urging President Bush not to overreact to the decision. China and Russia Thursday issued a joint statement urging Washington to open direct talks with Pyongyang. The Bush administration opposes direct talks and says it will continue a multilateral approach to the issue because all of North Korea's neighbors have a stake in a nuclear-weapons free Korean peninsula. (SIGNED) NEB/SS/KBK/FC |
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