Bush says North Korea must declare nuclear programs

By Jeremy Pelofsky

CAMP DAVID, Maryland (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea on Saturday demanded North Korea submit its long overdue accounting of its nuclear weapons programs but offered no clues about how long they would be willing to wait for it.

Meeting for the first time at the secluded U.S. presidential retreat, President George W. Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak also warned that once the declaration had been made, the information would have to be verified.

They appeared to back away from a reported proposal under which, according to sources familiar with the matter, Washington would list its concerns about the nuclear programs which Pyongyang would then acknowledge.

Some U.S. conservatives have criticized that idea as giving in to North Korea and aimed at getting a deal before Bush leaves office in early 2009.

"You know, there's all kinds of rumours about what is happening and what's not happening," Bush said at a news joint conference with Lee. "Obviously I'm not going to accept a deal that doesn't advance the interests of the region."

North Korea, which tested a nuclear device in 2006, failed to meet a December 31, 2007 deadline to reveal its nuclear weapons programs, a deal struck with the United States, China, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

"So we'll wait and see what he says, and then we'll make a decision about our obligations, depending upon whether or not we're convinced that there is a solid and full declaration," Bush said.

If Pyongyang makes the statement, the United States is expected to ease some sanctions imposed under the U.S. state sponsors of terrorism list and the U.S. Trading With the Enemy Act.