North Korea warns of missile test
Latest: Pentagon activates U.S. ground-based interceptor missile
defense system
The United States and Japan claim North Korea is ready to test a
ballistic missile that could reach the West Coast of the U-S. Japanese
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi warned that his country and its ally
in Washington would have to respond harshly if North Korea tested the
Taepodong-2 missile.
Officials in Washington say Pyongyang is ready to fire an unarmed
version of the rocket and that it's only a matter of time before the
state of Alaska is within North Korea's range. South Korean broadcaster
YTN also reported that officials in Seoul had spoken of a missile
launch as 'imminent'.
Moratorium
In 1998 North Korea stunned the world by firing a missile part of which
flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific. However, since 1999, Korea
has stuck to a moratorium on ballistic missile launches.
Japan has already said it would seek an immediate meeting of the UN
Security Council over the issue if North Korea went ahead and carried
out a launch. Tokyo also warned that sanctions could be discussed.
Pyongyang's latest inflammatory actions come during a stalemate in
six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear arms programme.
Out of the spotlight
Korea analyst Coen de Keuster from Leiden University says the
spotlight's gone off Pyongyang in recent months and that's caused
irritation:
"This is one way of getting attention. If they [North Korean officials]
politely ask and there is no reaction then you just knock on the door
with something shocking, it's not good news, but the fact is that
suddenly the United States, Japan, they're all paying attention again
and realising that following Iran and all the international attention
that went to Iran, North Korea's still there and the problem is not
solved, it's lingering."
US officials have been monitoring satellite pictures of launch
preparations of the missile at the Musudan-ri facility in North
Hamgyong province. They're believed to have witnessed the fuelling of
the missile. That would indicate that the rocket could be ready to be
launched.
Iran crisis
Recently, there've been no further moves towards reviving the talks on
North Korea's nuclear ambitions because diplomats have been busy trying
to resolve the Iran crisis. Coen de Keuster says that issue has proven
more urgent until now:
"Whenever the blip disappears from the radar screen, North Korea is
just not there."
"It's not important enough or in the case of Washington one would be
entitled to say [it is] such a thorny issue that is so difficult to
resolve that Washington prefers to turn away rather than to deal with
it and get their hands dirty."
RN Newsdesk
N.
Korean threat activates shield
U.S. cites a launch as 'provocative'
Mon Jun 19 2006 23:07:28 ET
The Pentagon activated its new U.S. ground-based interceptor missile
defense system, Bill Gertz reports in Tuesday's WASHINGTON TIMES, just
as officials announced that any long-range missile launch by North
Korea would be considered a "provocative act."
Poor weather conditions above where the missile site was located by
U.S. intelligence satellites indicates that an immediate launch is
unlikely, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
However, intelligence officials said preparations have advanced to the
point where a launch could take place within several days to a month.
Two Navy Aegis warships are patrolling near North Korea as part of the
global missile defense and would be among the first sensors that would
trigger the use of interceptors, the officials said yesterday.
Gertz reports: The U.S. missile defense system includes 11 long-range
interceptor missiles, including nine deployed at Fort Greeley, Alaska,
and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The system was switched
from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, the officials
said.
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