Bush, Hu discuss Iran, N. Korea

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush and his Chinese counterpart discussed a range of topics during a phone call, including the Korean Peninsula, the White House said.

The conversation between Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao occurred Thursday, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Friday during a news briefing.

While noting they spoke "about a variety of subjects, including the Iran NIE," Perino said she did not know whether they discussed the matter of so-called Taiwan independence.

Regarding the North Korean nuclear issue, Hu told Chinese news agency Xinhua Bush agreed the six-party talks are the most likely avenue to denuclearizing North Korea and expressed a willingness to cooperate with other six-party countries to achieve this goal.

Hu said he and Bush discussed the report that Iran abandoned nuclear weaponry development about four years ago. Hu said he hoped the United Nations could continue to try to influence Iran to stop its uranium enrichment activities.

Hu said he reiterated to Bush that China preferred to pursue diplomacy to protect peace and stability in the region, Xinhua said.