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WASHINGTON : US President George W. Bush and Chinese leader Hu Jintao agreed during a telephone call on Wednesday on pressing North Korea to follow through on its de-nuclearisation commitment, the White House said.
Bush called Hu from the Air Force One presidential aircraft while on route to Kansas on Wednesday, said White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe.
The two leaders "agreed on the need for North Korea to move forward in implementing its obligations under the February 13 agreement and agreed to work closely together towards that end," Johndroe said.
North Korea has refused to start shutting down its Yongbyon reactor, as pledged in a February 13 multinational agreement, until it receives US$25 million frozen in a Macau bank following a US blacklisting.
The United States said the funds were unfrozen in March but the transfer has yet to be made, due to apparent problems both with Banco Delta Asia, which holds the funds, and other banks which refuse to handle the transfer of the funds.
Pyongyang has already missed an April 14 deadline to begin shutting down the reactor.
Bush meanwhile told Hu he welcomes the coming visit to Washington of a delegation lead by Vice Premier Wu Yi to discuss economic issues.
Bush and Hu are planning to meet in early June at the G8 Summit in Germany. - AFP/de
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