Iraq rape, murder charges ‘very serious’: Bush

US President George W Bush has promised ‘‘absolute justice’’ if US soldiers are found guilty of committing atrocities against Iraqi civilians.

US President George W Bush has promised ‘‘absolute justice’’ if US soldiers are found guilty of committing atrocities against Iraqi civilians.

‘‘These are very serious charges and what the Iraqis must understand is that we will deal with these in a very transparent up-front way. People will be held to account if these charges are true,’’ he told CNN television in an interview yesterday in an apparent reference to a US Iraq war veteran charged with raping and murdering an Iraqi woman after allegedly gunning down three members of her family.

The 21-year-old Steven Green pleaded not guilty yesterday in connection to the alleged March 12 incident near Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

‘‘If in fact the charges are true that somebody was raped and murdered, then they ought be concerned,’’ Bush said of Iraqi leaders. ‘‘But they’ve got to be comforted in knowing is that we will deal with this in a way that is going to be transparent, above board and open.’’

‘‘But what I don’t want to have happen is for people to then say the US military is full of these kind of people. That is not the case,’’ said Bush.

The President also ruled out any new incentive packages for North Korea and said that he had ‘‘other options’’ beyond diplomacy to end a missile and nuclear crisis.

‘‘We want to solve all problems diplomatically. That’s our first option. But, of course, the President has got other options,’’ he said in the interview after Pyongyang fired seven missiles into the sea of Japan.

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Asked whether he was hopeful of ending the crisis, which has competed with the Iraq war and Iran’s nuclear programmes for his attention, Bush replied: ‘‘absolutely. I’m Optimistic that all problems will be resolved.’’

The us President also flatly rejected any direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-ll, saying: “I think he’d love to have the United States sit down at the table alone.”

“The problem is we tried that and it didn’t work,” said Bush, who has insisted that the best way to tackle the crisis is six-party talks grouping the US, the Koreas, China, Russia and Japan.

“We tried incentives before. A President looks not only at what his administration has tried, but what others have tried,” Bush said, according to a transcript released by cnn.