Patience with N Korea 'not unlimited': Bush

CAMP DAVID: US President George W Bush on Friday said that the international community's patience over North Korea's nuclear promises was "not unlimited" and warned of new sanctions.

Global powers involved in talks to dismantle North Korea's nuclear programme are "patient but our patience is not unlimited," he said after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"We talked about our mutual desire for North Korea to meet its obligations," Bush told a joint news conference with Abe, who described the situation as "regrettable."

"We expect North Korea to meet all its commitments under the February 13th agreement, and we will continue working closely with our partners," the president said.

Abe also lamented North Korea's attitude regarding the abductions of Japanese citizens.

"We agree that the current state of the six-party talks, as well as North Korea's attitude towards the abduction issue, are regrettable and we'll work for closer coordination between our two countries to achieve progress," he said.

The February agreement set April 14 as the deadline for North Korea to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor as the first step in scrapping its nuclear programmes.

But that date slipped by because of an unresolved dispute involving North Korean funds held in a Macau bank, which Bush called "a bump in the road" that was being clarified.