The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Washington

US President George W. Bush Friday urged North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to fully disclose his country's nuclear programs after Kim gave a "verbal reply" to an unprecedented letter from Bush.

"There's a way forward for Kim Jong-Il, and an important step is a full declaration of programs, materials that may have been developed to create weapons, as well as the proliferation activities of the regime," said Bush. The US president did not specify a timetable, and top US officials have suggested that a December 31 deadline for a full declaration may slip into early 2008. Bush did not comment on North Korea's response to his first direct communication with Kim, a December 1 letter. The White House confirmed an earlier announcement that North Korea had provided a "verbal reply" via diplomats in New York.