U.S.: North Korea is
'number one proliferator'

WASHINGTON — Not only has North Korea has resumed missile exports to the Middle East but top U.S. military officials call it the "number-one proliferator of missiles in the world."

U.S. officials said Pyongyang continues to sell missile technology and components to virtually all of its traditional clients in the Middle East. These include Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Syria, Middle East Newsline reported.

The commander of the U.S. forces in South Korea, Gen. Thomas Schwartz, told Senate Armed Services Committee that North Korea is the "number-one proliferator of missiles in the world." Schwartz told the committee on Tuesday that Pyongyang has sold missiles to Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, and Egypt.

"The [North Korean military] threat is more serious today than it was last year when I testified," Schwartz said.

Although skeptics question the quality of untested missile components, the exports have continued despite U.S. efforts during the Clinton administration to woo North Korea to end missile sales. Officials said North Korea was marketing its Taepo Dong-1 missile, with a range of 1,500 kilometers and a shipment of missiles was spotted earlier this month leaving for the Middle East.

Particularly troubling to the United States are sales to Egypt, the leading Arab ally of the United States in the Middle East. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is scheduled to meet President George Bush in the White House on April 2.

Recently, the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said Egypt is believed to have developed a Scud C missile with a range of 500 kilometers with help from North Korea.

Other U.S. officials suggested that North Korean missiles could be duds. They said Pyongyang is selling missiles that have not been fully tested, citing North Korea's observance of a moratorium in testing intermediate- and long-range missiles.

"And although the North Koreans seem uniquely capable of selling missiles which haven't been tested, and some fool countries seem uniquely capable of buying them, even though they don't know if the damn things work or not, they have not in fact fired them since that time," Admiral Dennis Blair, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Pacific Command, told the Senate committee.

Gen. Schwarz did not elaborate in his testimony on what North Korea sold to its clients. But Gen. Tommy Franks, head of the U.S. Central Command, told the House Armed Services committee, that North Korea is helping Iran in Teheran's missile program. Franks said Iran is currently perfecting the Shihab-3 missile and moving to a more advanced Shihab-4.

"We see continuing evidence of a desire to — I guess I would say, in quotes — 'perfect' the Shihab-3 by the Iranians, and, in fact, the potential to move beyond that to a Shihab-4 sort of a system," Franks said.