Clinton said on the eve of a major Asian security conference in the Thai resort of Phuket that the communist state, which has pulled out of multilateral talks, must abandon its nuclear programme if it wants to receive incentives.

"Complete and irreversible denuclearisation is the only viable path for North Korea," she told reporters after meeting her counterparts from Russia, China, Japan and South Korea, the other parties in the negotiations.

North Korea left the talks after the UN Security Council censured it for a long-range rocket launch in April. Tensions rose further after it restarted its weapons programme and carried out an underground nuclear test in May.

Clinton said the other four nations agreed on the need to enforce the UN sanctions if North Korea does not take steps including dismantling its main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and giving up its plutonium stockpile.

In extracts of remarks prepared for delivery Thursday but released by her aides the night before, Clinton tried to tempt North Korea into "full and verifiable denuclearisation" with "significant energy and economic assistance."

However, until North Korea builds trust, she said, the United States will "undertake the necessary defensive measures" to protect its interests and those of its allies.

She also reiterated that Kim Jong-Il's administration would not be rewarded "just for returning to the table" after warning that, unless it gave up its weapons programme, "they will face international isolation and the unrelenting pressure of global sanctions."

Expressing concern over alleged abuses of the North Korean people by the isolated regime, she said the "US government intends to announce soon a special envoy for North Korean human rights."

Clinton earlier Wednesday expressed concerns about possible nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Myanmar's ruling military junta, saying that a rogue alliance could destabilise the region.

"We worry about the transfer of nuclear technology," she said in an interview with Thailand's Nation TV.

In Phuket, Clinton again referred to the "concerns that are being expressed about cooperation between North Korea and Burma in the pursuit of offensive weapons, perhaps even including nuclear weapons at some point," she said.

Suspicions about Myanmar and North Korea escalated after a US Navy destroyer last month began tracking a suspect North Korean ship reportedly heading for Myanmar under the UN sanctions.

Separately, a group of exiled Myanmar activists last month released pictures of what they said was a secret network of tunnels built by North Korea inside Myanmar.

North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui-Chun declined to come to Phuket, instead sending a roving ambassador, and Southeast Asian officials say the Pyongyang delegation is concerned about coming under pressure.

The warnings from Clinton came before she signed a landmark friendship treaty with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signalling Washington's re-engagement with the region after years of neglect.

The United States has seen China increase its influence over the region of 600 million people in recent years, as Washington was unwilling to sign the pact amid fears that it would limit its flexibility.

China signed the same pact with the 10-member ASEAN six years ago.

"The United States is back in Southeast Asia," Clinton said. "President (Barack) Obama and I believe this region is vital to global progress, peace and prosperity."

Clinton meanwhile said that Myanmar could receive benefits including US investment if it frees detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but said that ASEAN should consider expelling the country if it does not.

Myanmar has sparked outrage by putting the Nobel Peace Prize winner on trial over an incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside house in May, putting a possible review of US policy on hold.

Clinton is due to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia's largest security dialogue featuring 26 nations and the European Union, in Phuket on Thursday.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News