U.S. concerned N. Korea will resume Taepo Dong-2 missile tests

WASHINGTON -- The United States fears that North Korea will end its moratorium and resume tests of the Taepo Dong-2 as part of efforts to export the intercontinental ballistic missile.

U.S. officials said Pyongyang continues to develop the Taepo Dong-2 despite suspending launches of the new missile. The officials said North Korea apparently has assessed that it requires only one test-launch before the missile is ready for deployment and export.

"Test launches are only one part of missile development," Defense Secretary William Cohen told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. "Other missile development activities -- such as ground testing -- continue in North Korea. North Korea could break its current moratorium and begin flight testing the intercontinental range Taepo Dong-2 missile at anytime and begin deploying it in the next few years."

Cohen said North Korea has already exported the No-Dong missile, with a range of about 1,000 kilometers. U.S. officials said Pyongyang has been negotiating for the export of the Taepo Dong-1 missile, launched in 1998.

The defense secretary said Iran, Iraq and Libya are also potential missile threats to the United States. Cohen referred to the July 15 launch of the Iranian Shihab-3.

"If freed from international sanctions, Iraq would almost certainly restart its own long-range missile development program," Cohen said. "Libya has chemical weapons capabilities and has sought longer-range missiles for years."

Cohen's assessment was disputed by Democrats on the committee. Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said the aim to deploy the NMD by 2005 "is no longer realistic and should be adjusted."

The United States plans to resume missile talks with Pyongyang. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright arrives in Bangkok on Wednesday and is expected to meet her counterpart, Paek Nam Sun.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he elicited a pledge from North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il to end its missile programs in exchange for rocket booster technology.