Confronted with a nuclear challenge from North Korea and the possibility of war with Iraq, US President George W. Bush resolved on Tuesday to try to find peaceful solutions to both this year.
His New Year's Eve vow came even as the US built up its military presence in the Gulf region and the communist regime in Pyongyang added a fresh twist to the Asian nuclear crisis by hinting it might pull out of a global non-proliferation treaty because of Washington's threats.
"We hope to resolve all the situations in which we find ourselves in a peaceful way," Bush told reporters at a coffee shop in the tiny town of Crawford near his family ranch. "And so that's my commitment, to try to do so peacefully."
But Bush drew distinctions between the two international threats. He expressed confidence that diplomacy could head off North Korea's nuclear ambitions while reminding Iraqi President Saddam Hussein that the growing US military presence in the Gulf was designed to make sure he "heard the message."
Asked about the potential cost of a war against Iraq, Bush countered, "An attack from Saddam Hussein or a surrogate of Saddam Hussein would cripple our economy."
White House budget officials say they have not put a price tag on a possible war with Iraq and that the only baseline for budget planners was the 1991 Persian Gulf conflict, which cost more than US$60 billion.
US officials have argued that Saddam could go after US interests or supply weapons to extremist groups like al-Qaeda, which the US accuses of masterminding the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
"Our economy is strong, it's resilient, we've got to continue to make it strong and resilient," Bush said. But he added, "This economy cannot afford to stand an attack."
A unanimous UN Security Council resolution passed last month gave Baghdad a final chance to reveal all details of its weapons programs, as required by resolutions stemming back to the 1991 Gulf War -- or face US-led military action.
Bush said Iraq's response so far had been "discouraging."
Washington has accused Baghdad of withholding information about its weapons programs in its arms declaration. Saddam has denied possessing any weapons of mass destruction.
"His declaration was short, and the international community recognized that, that he wasn't forthcoming," Bush said. He added that the choice was Saddam's to make and said he hoped "this can be done peacefully."
By comparison, the US president played down the dispute with North Korea over its pursuit of a nuclear arsenal, saying Washington and Pyongyang were engaged in a "diplomatic showdown ... not a military showdown."
In his first public remarks on the North Korean threat in two weeks, Bush said "all options are always on the table for any president," but he suggested that, unlike Iraq, force was not under consideration.
"I view the North Korean situation as one that can be resolved peacefully through diplomacy," he said, stressing that the US was working with its allies to help convince North Korea to scrap all its nuclear weapons program.
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