Obama calls Chinese leader on North Korea tensions

North Korea needs to "halt its provocative behavior" as tensions rise on the Korean peninsula, President Barack Obama said during a phone call with Chinese President Hu Jintao, the White House said.

Hu called for a "calm and rational response from all sides to prevent the deterioration of the fragile security situation," according to the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Because of the time difference, the phone took place Monday in China, but Sunday evening in Washington.

The call came ahead of scheduled talks Monday between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the top diplomats of Japan and South Korea on the rising tensions in the region.

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