US and Japan warn North Korea it may face 'tougher measures'

The leaders of the United States and Japan bluntly warned North Korea today that it would be hit with "tougher measures" if it escalates the crisis over its alleged nuclear weapons programme.

But US President George W Bush tempered the warning by suggesting that cash-strapped Pyongyang could receive "help" if it agreed to give up its nuclear ambitions.

"We are confident that our diplomatic approach will bring a peaceful solution. Yet we agreed that further escalation of the situation by North Korea will require tougher measures from the international community," Bush said at a news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Koizumi echoed -- verbatim -- Bush's warning about "tougher measures," though neither leader spelled out what that specifically meant. US officials have been considering sanctions, including a crackdown on North Korea's illegal drug trade and the flow of parts for its missiles.

"Japan will crack down more rigorously on illegal activities, and the North Koreans will have to understand that threats and intimidations will have no meaning whatsoever," Koizumi said through a translator.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party has discussed changing foreign exchange laws to make it harder for people such as pro-Pyongyang Koreans to make cash transfers to North Korea. Japan also appears to be cracking down on companies that illegally export machines and parts to North Korea that could be used in weapons of mass destruction.

"The prime minister and I see the problem exactly the same way. We will not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea. We will not give in to blackmail. We will not settle for anything less than complete, verifiable and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons programme," said Bush, who met with Koizumi at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

But the American president also held out hope of a thaw with Pyongyang, praising China's participation in the process of "saying to North Korea that acceptance by the international community and potential help will come when they change their behaviour and their attitude toward nuclear weapons."

"This message has been delivered, and the North Koreans are thinking about it," Bush said.

The 1600-acre (547ha) Crawford ranch is a favourite hideaway of Bush's for hosting foreign leaders -- and thanking those like Koizumi who supported the US-led war on Iraq.

The latest crisis over North Korea erupted in October when Washington said North Korea had admitted to a secret programme to enrich uranium for nuclear arms in addition to a plutonium programme frozen under a 1994 US-North Korea pact.

The meeting with Koizumi comes nine days after Bush held talks in Washington with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun. The two leaders said they would "not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea."

Bush is also seeking to involve Russia in the diplomatic effort over North Korea.

- REUTERS