The Grand National Party (GNP) says that presidential nominee Lee Myung-bak will reach out to the four major neighboring countries even if he does not meet with U.S. President George W. Bush.

GNP Spokeswoman Na Kyung-won told a briefing Wednesday that her party will not comment further on the itinerary for Lee's planned visit to the United States, following Washington's denial of plans for talks between Bush and the South Korean presidential front-runner.

She observed that the four-nation diplomacy, referring to South Korea's relations with the United States, China, Russia and Japan, is focused on economy and resources and thus has no direct relevance to talks with Mr. Bush.

Meanwhile, a key Lee aide told Seoul-based Yonhap News that the GNP must respect the U.S. stance, admitting that the rumored meeting had been virtually cancelled.

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