U.S. won't stop dialogue with N. Korea even after missile test
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Sunday, July 4, 1999
WASHINGTON -- The United States will continue its dialogue with
North Korea even if Pyongyang rejects appeals and launches an
intercontinental ballistic missile.
A senior State Department official said on Thursday that Washington
has urged Pyongyang not to go ahead with plans to launch the Taepo Dong
missile, with a range of 6,000 kilometers [4,000 miles] and capable of
striking western United States.
"We have made it very clear that we believe that, you know, the
acquisition of long-range missile capabilities is destabilizing, and we
have warned North Korea that a missile test of any such system would
have serious consequences," the official said in a briefing. "I don't
think I could be any clearer than that."
But the official said the United States would not stop its current
dialogue with Pyongyang should it defy U.S. wishes and fire the missile.
He said Washington will exert a maximum effort "to try to persuade North
Korea not to go forward with another test and to have some discussions,
you know, beyond that if they do test, you know, how to respond to it."
Diplomats said Japan and South Korea have urged for a more vigorous
policy against any Pyongyang launch. Japanese officials, they said, are
prepared to end aid to North Korea should the missile be tested.
Reconciliation efforts by both Japan and South Korea have been
stalemated by Pyongyang's reported intention to test the Taepo Dong II.
North Korea has rejected appeals to halt missile tests. Pyongyang
said that a previous test was that of a failed satellite launch.
"From our point of view, it is the vehicle and the range that is the
most serious thing, and that's why we have focused on it," the State
Department official said. "And so we do not think simply labeling
something as a satellite makes the issue go away."
The official said he was not concerned with reports that South Korea
was seeking to develop ballistic missiles to respond to the threat by
its northern neighbor. He said Washington is working with Seoul on
ballistic missile defense.
"I think that the basic priority of both the United States and the
Republic of Korea is on the diplomatic side, meaning trying to deal with
the North Korean missile threat, not by counterproliferation, but rather
by persuading the North Koreans to cease pursuing these capabilities,"
the official said.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary William Cohen refused to discuss the
forthcoming North Korean missile launch. "I really don't want to comment
on any intelligence matters," he said. "We follow it very closely."
Sunday, July 4, 1999
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