White House denies 2d thoughts on North

The White House on Wednesday denied reports that the United States is considering resigning itself to the idea of a nuclear North Korea. The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times had reported that the Bush administration and some Asian countries were changing the focus of their North Korea policies from preventing Pyeongyang from producing nuclear weapons to preventing it from exporting nuclear material.
Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said the United States and its allies believe “it’s important to make certain that there is a denuclearized peninsula.” He added that “the best answer remains regional diplomacy.”
Asked if reprocessing of spent fuel roads in Yeongbyeon would constitute a red line to the United States, triggering consequences for Pyeongyang, Mr. Fleischer said he could not discuss the matter.