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N Korea likely to test nuclear bomb
 North Korea will probably test a nuclear weapon, with an even chance of doing so this year, as Kim Jong-ils regime tries to assert its defiance in the face of increasing international pressure, said Richard Armitage, former US deputy secretary of state.Mr Armitage, who is urging Washington to talk directly to Pyongyang to try and resolve the nuclear stand-off, estimated there was a 50 per cent chance of a test by the end of the year. I think it is more likely than not, Mr Armitage, who served in President George W. Bushs first administration, told the Financial Times. This follows weeks of speculation that Pyongyang is preparing to prove its nuclear capability and its resolve to resist US demands. I think that in their thought-process its the next logical escalation. A [North Korean] spy was captured here [in August], there were shots fired in the demilitarised zone and they launched missiles [in July] . . . so their next logical thing is to demonstrate that they actually do have a device, he said in Seoul yesterday. South Korean newspapers have for weeks been reporting rumours of preparations for a test. Chung Hyung-keun, a South Korean lawmaker on the national intelligence committee, said last week that North Korea was ready to conduct a test. All that is needed is Kim Jong-ils approval, Mr Chung said, citing South Korean intelligence. If the US continues the financial sanctions and if China also turns up the heat, North Korea will be forced into a corner and will have to resort to a nuclear test.
I dont hold with the idea that just because we dont like some regime we dont talk to them, Mr Armitage said yesterday. After all we didnt like the Soviet regime and we talked to them and we didnt like the Mao Zedong regime and we certainly talked to them, and weve all benefited from having done so.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-09-26 |
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