US: President George Bush has vowed to rally world support in response to North Korea's act of launching seven missiles this week, insisting that the United States should not act alone in attempting to deter Kim Jong-il.
"Part of our strategy, as you know, has been to have others at the table; is to say as clearly as possible to the North Koreans: get rid of your weapons and there's a better way forward.
"In other words, there's a choice for him to make . . . I believe it's best to make that choice clear to him with more than one voice, and that's why we have the six-party talks. And now that he has defied China and Japan and South Korea and Russia and the US - all of us said don't fire that rocket. He not only fired one, he fired seven," the president said.
Mr Bush said he had spoken to the leaders of Russia, China, Japan and South Korea to establish a common position on North Korea at the United Nations. Russia and China are resisting calls from Japan, Britain and the US to impose sanctions.
"We're now working the diplomacy, and you're watching the diplomacy work, not only in North Korea, but in Iran. It's kind of painful in a way for some to watch, because it takes a while to get people on the same page. Not everybody thinks the exact same way we think.
"Words mean different things to different people, and the diplomatic process can be slow and cumbersome. This is why this is probably the fourth day in a row I've been asked about North Korea. It's slow and cumbersome. Things just don't happen overnight," Mr Bush said.
Asian reaction to the missile launches has been universal condemnation after the tests raised fears of a nuclear conflict in the region, but there are major differences in how to deal with North Korea.
The North Koreans responded furiously to Japanese plans to impose sanctions after the missile launches, but Pyongyang seems to be running low on friends. Even China, the closest thing North Korea has to an ally, indicated that the launches were a provocation.
Christopher Hill, Washington's representative at the six-party talks on the nuclear stand-off, made a whistlestop tour to present Washington's case. "There is broad agreement on the fact that what the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) did is really a provocative act and that we all need to speak with one voice," he said after meeting Chinese officials.
Hill was also pushing for sanctions via the UN, but Russia and China have opposed this. Chinese state councillor Tang Jiaxuan skirted the issue, saying he had told Hill that Beijing would continue its honest-broker role and push forward the six-party talks, which have stalled since late last year.
Wu Dawei, China's top negotiator, will accompany Vice-Premier Hui Liangyu to the DPRK next week.
The North Koreans yesterday threatened "stronger actions" against Japan if it did not lift sanctions against it.