Posted on 05/07/2005 12:35:06 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
North Korea nuclear test would be 'provocative': White House
59 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States warned that any nuclear weapons test by North Korea would be considered a provocative act, as reports suggested the Stalinist state could stage an underground nuclear experiment.
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The New York Times said in a report Friday that US officials familiar with satellite and intelligence data believed North Korea was building a reviewing stand and filling in a tunnel, signs of a potential underground nuclear test.
"I don't want to get into discussing intelligence matters, but what I would say is that if North Korea did take such a step, that would just be another provocative act that would further isolate it from the international community," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
He said all countries in the region wanted a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
The United States and North Korea's neighbours had been working through multilateral talks to meet the objective, he added.
"And so we want to see North Korea come back to the six-party talks and discuss, in a serious way, how to move forward on the proposal we've outlined," McClellan said.
Talks between the two Koreas, Russia, China, Japan and the United States on the North's nuclear programs have been stalled since a third round of talks last June.
The North has boycotted the talks, citing "hostile" US policy, and has publicly announced it has nuclear weapons and it could manufacture more.
NBC television, without citing sources, said the US military has drawn up plans for a possible preemptive strike against North Korea should Pyongyang appear ready to test a nuclear weapon.
The Pentagon has had B2 stealth bombers and F15e fighter jets on alert in the Pacific since September, as part of a contingency plan, the report said, adding that US allies in the region strongly oppose the military option.
UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei warned Friday that a North Korean test blast would be "nuclear blackmail" and world leaders should get on the phone to dissuade Pyongyang from going ahead with it.
North Korea needs "to understand that the international community has zero tolerance for any new country to go for a nuclear weapon," ElBaradei told AFP in an interview on the sidelines of a non-proliferation conference in New York.
Media reports have said that the North has been preparing an underground nuclear test since March and might conduct one as early as June.
A senior US intelligence official, who has seen recent satellite images taken of Kilchu, in northeastern North Korea, told the New York Times that tunnels for underground nuclear tests differed from those for mines as they need to be plugged up again to contain the powerful blast.
"You see them stemming the tunnel, taking material back into the mine to plug it up," said the unnamed official, a specialist in nuclear analysis. "There's a lot of activity," he added, "taking stuff in as opposed to taking it out."
Commenting on the report, acting State Department spokesman Tom Casey said "we certainly don't have any new assessment of North Korea's nuclear program."
A senior department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, rejected the idea that the United States had "any new or startling assessment of what they may or may not be trying to do."
According to the Times report, the images also showed the construction of a reviewing stand, which officials said appeared luxurious by North Korean standards, several miles from the suspected test site.
A reviewing stand for visiting dignitaries is considered a significant clue to a possible nuclear test after Western intelligence overlooked one the North Koreans had built before they launched a missile in 1998.
North Korea is believed to have one or two crude nuclear bombs, according to US intelligence reports.
International jitters were heightened last Sunday when North Korea test-fired a short-range missile, although US, South Korean and Japanese officials refused to link the incident to Pyongyang's drive for nuclear arms.
The highlight in the article is mine, ping!
North Korea is a bigger threat compared to Iraq. And now all we do is to threaten sanctions. North koreans are good with playing words. While these "word wars" are going on, lots of poor peasants starve to death and the range of North Korea's nuclear weapons is inching closer towards the West Coast.
The US military, I am certain, has drawn up plans for a possible full scale assault on an alien mothership should one arrive and attack the planet.
It's part of the military's job to have plans drawn up for every possible contingency and decision made by the CIC. The existence of said plans in no way indicates a greater or lesser potential of those plans being implemented.
Qwinn
It's my understanding that one of their missles is capable of reaching Seattle.
Hey...I live near there.
Lovely.
Don't hold your breath that the United States will go postal on North Korea over this test.
Gosh, if it wasn't for Clinton and Madam "Half"bright, perhaps proactive action could be considered instead of reactive action.
We won't, and I trust you would take that as a good thing?
Right?
A few well placed missiles from our subs would suffice.
Interesting. I wonder what the goal(s) would be of the preemptive strike. When Japanese preemption was mentioned previously, it was in the context of hitting missile sites as missiles were being fueled with the goal of interrupting the launch of those missiles.
In this case of a preemption for the test of a nuclear weapon, however, I would be very interested what the goal(s) would be. If the goal is the same, preventing the activity, then that will likely require some significant commitment on our part.
I'd imagine the goal would be to completely destroy the NK capability to ever even THINK about making another nuke.
The little nutso simply cannot be allowed to have possesion of a bomb.
I think the story is only a story, I don't think the US would go in over a test in these modern times.
It would be a tough sell, let me put it that way.
Well?
Perhaps walking quietly while carrying a big stick would be a reasonable option.
After all, it has worked in the past and as long as we have a nuclear defense system in place (hint, hint) perhaps it could work again.
This little "nutso" shouldn't have been allowed to gain the status of discussion with US concerns in the first place.
However someone allowed that to happen and via diplomacy to boot....
Proactive is good. Consistent with W's policies!
If we acted with black ops behind the scenes I would agree.
Suffice in doing what?
Perhaps a course in visionary thinking would create a change in your thinking....
Thanks. If it wasn't for speculation by fellow Freepers, I'd never guess where my son is. Now at least I have an idea.
Relax everybody. Billy's got it all under control.
Then again, the NK's might be *very* suprised by the yield of their test weapon...almost like someone dropped a B-61 on the site to "enhance" the detonation... Would just be too bad if that reviewing stand was inside the lethal radius.
We ARE NOT going to do a damn thing. Case Closed.
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