President George W. Bush warned North Korea yesterday against test-firing a long-range missile, while other US officials rejected an overture from Pyongyang for bilateral talks with Washington on the issue.

Mr Bush, speaking in Vienna after talks with EU leaders, said North Korea must abide by international missile test agreements.

"North Koreans have made agreements with us in the past and we expect them to keep their agreements," Mr Bush said.

"For example agreements on test launches - we think it would be in the world's interest to know what they're testing, what they intend to do on their test," he told reporters.

Washington says there is evidence North Korea might test-fire its Taepodong-2 long-range missile and has activated a ground-based interceptor missile-defence system in case Pyongyang goes ahead with a launch.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the North wanted talks with the United States over its planned missile test, a sign Pyongyang might be ready to step back from the mounting crisis.

Washington ruled out any special talks over the issue which it, along with South Korea and Japan, says poses a grave danger to a region already worried by North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

"We know that the US is concerned about our missile test launch," Yonhap quoted North Korea's deputy chief of mission at the United Nations in New York, Han Song-ryol, as saying.

"Our position is to solve this situation through discussions," Mr Han said, but added that Pyongyang had a right to develop and test missiles.

John Bolton, US ambassador to the United Nations, rejected the offer. "I've noted that the North Korean (deputy ambassador) here has said actually what they want to do is talk to us if we're so concerned with it," Mr Bolton told reporters.