Top Bush administration officials have said again that Washington is keeping its options open on dealing with Iraq and North Korea, including the right to act against them on its own.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says no decision has been made on Iraq. But he says the White House will consult closely with its allies before any action is taken.

National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that North Korea is selling very dangerous ballistic missiles to just about anybody with the money to buy them.

Ms. Rice said Washingtion is still interested in dialogue with North Korea, but only on specific issues and not just, for what she termed, "the sake of dialogue."

Last month, President Bush accused Iraq, Iran and North Korea of forming an "Axis of Evil" that supports terrorism. This sparked widespread speculation over whether the Bush administration plans to take action as part of its war against terrorism against any of these countries, particularly Iraq.

Canada's Foreign Minister William Graham was in Washington Thursday and warned that a reason must be given to invade a sovereign country or else there could be what he called "international chaos."

Arab countries have already said they would not support any U.S. attack against Iraq.

On Saturday, President Bush leaves Washington for a week-long trip to Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing.

(reuters, afp, c-r)

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