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North Korea hiding nukes in underground bunkers
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Special to World Tribune.com
GEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT
Thursday, March 28, 2002
North Korea continues to conceal nuclear
weapons and fissile material, U.S. officials said.
The Bush administration has obtained information indicating that North
Korea possesses at least three nuclear bombs as well as an
undetermined amount of fissile material. The officials said the material is
being stored in underground bunkers kept off-limits to both the
United States or the International Atomic Energy Agency.
North Korea, the officials said, has refused to allow the IAEA to
conduct a full inspection of the nuclear facility at Yongbyon north of Pyongyang. The
Kim Jong Il regime may have used Yongbyon and other facilities for tests on the
weaponization of long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States.
The officials said the administration has decided not to certify that
North Korea has complied with a 1994 accord with the Clinton administration in which Pyongyang pledged to
suspend its nuclear weapons program. The agreement led to a U.S. promise to
supply North Korea with two nuclear power reactors in a $4.6 billion
project.
The Bush administration also wants to link the nuclear power
project to an end to North Korean missile exports which have continued. Pyongyang is regarded as
the leading missile exporter to the Middle East, including such clients as
Egypt, Iran, Libya and Syria, according to reports from Middle East Newsline.
Meanwhile, Iran is preparing to accept delivery of North Korean
gunboats, which will be converted into guided-missile naval vessels.
U.S. intelligence sources said the boats could arrive on an Iranian
freighter within the next week. They said the United States is monitoring
the shipment of the gunboats from North Korea to the Iranian port of Bandar
Abbas.
The Washington Times reported that the Iranian freighter, Meead,
obtained the gunboats from the North Korean port of Nampo after stopping in
the Chinese port of Tianjin in late February.
North Korea manufactures several model fast attack vessels. They include
the SO-1 and the Sinpo.
The North Korean shipment to Iran is said to be at least the second this
year from East Asia to Teheran. In January, China delivered naval air
defense missiles to Iran. The missiles were said to have a range of nearly
13 kilometers.
The U.S. sources said Iran has been bolstering its navy to counter the
prospect of an expanded U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf. The sources said
that despite the war in Afghanistan, which borders Iran, Teheran still has
the power to block oil exports from the Persian Gulf.
Teheran is believed to have deployed Chinese guided-missile patrol boats
equipped with anti-ship missiles as well as two Russian Kilo-class diesel
submarines. Iran has also produced mini-submarines for reconnaissance and
sabotage missions.
Over the weekend, Iranian military commanders again warned that Teheran
would confront any U.S. attack. The commanders said Iran has developed a
range of unspecified weapons.
"We are not for war, but we will stand up against the enemy should
the need arise," Iranian naval chief Brig. Gen. Morteza Saffari told senior
commanders
Geostrategy-Direct, www.geostrategy-direct.com,
April 2, 2002
Copyright © 2002 East West Services. All rights reserved.
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