Bush urges tough line on North Korea sanctions

US president George Bush today urged a tough line in implementing UN sanctions against North Korea for its recent nuclear test at a Pacific Rim summit, where he is also pushing a US-backed proposal for a regional free-trade zone.

Bush's arrival in Hanoi - where he is only the second US president to visit since the Vietnam War ended in 1975 - sharpened the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum's focus on security issues such as North Korea, the war in Iraq and Iran's nuclear development.