미국을 방문중인 아베 일본 수상과 부시 미국 대통령은, 북한이 6자회담에서 합의한 핵시설 해체를 계속 이행하지 않을 경우에, 미국과 일본이 북한에 대해 강경한 제재정책을 채택하는 방향으로 선회할 것이라고 경고했다. '워싱턴 포스트'는 부시 대통령이 아베 수상과 함께 27일(금요일, 현지시간) 기자들에게 "미국과 일본은 북한이 (북핵 문제에 있어서) 올바른 선택을 계속 유지하도록 촉구한다. 만약 북한이 올바른 손택을 하지 않으면, 우리(미국과 일본)는 이전에 선택한 대북정책 보다 더 강경한 대북제재를 적용할 계획도 가지고 있다"고 경고했다. 최근 북한과의 관계정상화를 꾀하는 듯한 부시 행정부의 유연한 대북정책에 불만이 없지 않은 일본의 입장을 대변하는 아베 수상은 "북한은 (핵시설 해체를) 약속한 합의를 제대로 이행해야 한다. 북한의 행동을 분명히 주시하고 있다. 만약 북한이 제대로 핵시설 해체를 약속을 이행하지 않으면, 일본의 입장에서 적절한 대응을 할 것이다"라고 주장하면서, 북한의 외교적 장난에 일본이 순순히 놀아나지 않을 것임을 시사했다. 자신의 유화적 대북정책에 대한 강경파의 비난에 직면한 부시 대통령도 6자회담에서 합의한 핵시설 해체를 제대로 이행하지 않는 북한정권에 강경정책을 펼 가능성을 언급했다. 부시 대통령은 "미국은 북한 자금동결 해제에 대한 입장을 분명하게 정리하여, 북한정권이 핵시설을 해체하지 않을 핑계를 만들어 주지 마라. 북한의 약속 불이행에 대한 미국의 인내는 한계가 있다. 미국은 북한에 더 많은 제재를 가할 능력이 있다. 북한 핵시설 해체를 통해 다른 국가들에게 분명한 메시지를 전달할 것이다"라며 강경한 대북정책에로의 회귀 가능성을 언급했다. 하지만, 미국과 일본은 일단 북한이 핵시설 해체 약속을 이행할 것으로 믿는 입장을 취하고 있다. 마카오 BDA은행의 북한자금 동결이 해제되는 수순을 지켜보는 북한도 핵시설 해체 약속을 이행하는 제스처를 보일 것이고, 미국과 일본은 북한에 당분간 유화적 제스처는 유지할 것으로 관측된다. 그러나 북한이 계속 외교적 속임수를 국제사회에 구사하면서 핵무기 시설을 감추고 지키려고 하는 한, 미국과 일본의 대북정책은 결국 이전보다 더 강경해질 가능성도 배제할 수 없다. 미국이라는 국가가 평화적 자세를 취할 때에, 전쟁의 가능성은 매우 높다는 사실을 남북한 좌파세력은 명심해야 할 것이다. 호랑이가 발톱을 감출 때에 토끼는 가장 조심해야 한다. <참고자료: U.S., Japan Reiterate Warning to N. Korea> CAMP DAVID, April 27 -- President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe threatened North Korea on Friday with the possibility of new sanctions unless Pyongyang abides by its promise to shut down its nuclear program, while Bush invited senior lawmakers to the White House next week to discuss how to break the stalemate over Iraq war funding. "We're hoping that the North Korea leader continues to make the right choice for his country," Bush said at a joint news conference with Abe at the presidential retreat here. "But if he should choose not to, we've got a strategy to make sure that the pressure we've initially applied is even greater. That's our plan." Bush was also asked about the impasse with Congress over Iraq, with lawmakers planning to send the president a bill next week that would require the beginning of troop reductions. Bush voiced optimism he would eventually receive a bill he is willing to sign but gave no indication of what kind of restrictions or conditions he might accept in negotiations with Democrats. A meeting was scheduled for Wednesday at the White House. The president once again made clear there is at least one deal breaker -- setting a deadline for pulling out U.S. troops. "If the Congress wants to test my will as to whether or not I'll accept a timetable for withdrawal, I won't accept one," Bush said, indicating a willingness to continue vetoing bills if necessary. It was another thorny foreign policy problem -- how to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons program -- that dominated the first U.S. summit between Bush and the new Japanese prime minister, a hawkish conservative who is the first Japanese leader born after World War II. Bush got along famously with Abe's more flamboyant predecessor, Junichiro Koizumi, and officials on both sides were anxious to get the new relationship off to a good start: Abe brought gifts for Bush's dogs when he came to dinner at the White House on Thursday -- tiny pillows with their names inscribed. But more serious issues intruded. Japanese officials have been unhappy with Washington's recent policy shift, a new agreement in which North Korea agreed eventually to give up its nuclear weapons program for fuel aid and steps toward normalizing relations with the United States and Japan. Japanese skepticism of North Korea's willingness to abide by the plan has been fanned in recent weeks by Pyongyang's failure to implement its first major requirement -- shutting down its main nuclear facility. That was supposed to happen within 60 days of the Feb. 13 deal, but the deadline has been broken by two weeks -- owing to a hang-up over resolving a separate dispute over North Korean money frozen at a Macau bank. In talking with reporters through a translator Friday morning, Abe said he and Bush "completely see eye to eye" on North Korea, though his language seemed much sharper on Pyongyang than Bush's. Abe said the North Koreans "need to respond appropriately on these issues, otherwise we will have to take a tougher response on our side" and bluntly warned that he is well aware of the "negotiating ploys" from Pyongyang. For his part, Bush evinced continuing strong support of a nuclear deal that has been criticized by hawks in his own party, describing the impasse with North Korea as "a bump in the road to getting them to honor their agreement." Bush said U.S. officials are trying to "clarify" for the North Koreans the financial arrangements for retrieving their frozen money, "so that that will enable them to have no excuse for moving forward." As part of an effort to keep the nuclear agreement going, the administration recently reversed its position and permitted the North Koreans to access the money, $25 million, after accusing them of money-laundering. "Our patience is not unlimited," Bush said, though he did not set a timetable for North Korea to comply. The president noted: "We now have a structure in place to continue to provide a strong message to the North Koreans. We have the capability of more sanctions. We have the capability of convincing other nations to send a clear message." One senior administration official, who asked for anonymity so as not to upstage the president, said U.S. officials do not believe the nuclear deal with North Korea is unraveling despite its failure to shut down the reactor. He said "the North continues to be clear with us that they are committed to this agreement" and is only trying to sort out the issues over the frozen money first. The official said there are not major differences between Bush and Abe on the nuclear issue -- but said the Japanese prime minister did voice concerns to the president about whether North Korea will provide a full accounting of the Japanese citizens it has abducted. Japanese officials are worried that the United States might take North Korea off its official list of state sponsors of terrorism before there is such an accounting. Staff writer Glenn Kessler contributed to this article from Washington: washingtonpost.com/