久久久无码人妻精品无码_6080YYY午夜理论片中无码_性无码专区_无码人妻品一区二区三区精99

North Korea may carry out nuclear test by June - Kyodo
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-04-30 15:51

The United States has warned the International Atomic Energy Agency that North Korea has been preparing to carry out an underground nuclear test since March and could go ahead as early as June, Kyodo news agency said on Saturday.

The report, which quoted diplomatic sources in Vienna, came a day after the chief U.S. negotiator to stalled talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions said Washington believed North Korea might be trying to harvest material for a nuclear bomb from a shut-down reactor.

According to the sources, who said the information was obtained by satellite photos and from within North Korea, Pyongyang was preparing to test a small-scale plutonium device.

The United States had called on China to urge North Korea to halt its preparations.

Japanese officials were unavailable for comment.

Last week, following a similar report, a senior U.S. administration official said that Washington had seen no evidence that North Korea was preparing for a nuclear weapons test, although it had seen "lots of stuff suggesting interesting activity."

On Friday, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters in Seoul that a North Korean plutonium reactor at Yongbyon had been shut down for close to three weeks and there could be an operation under way to reprocess nuclear material.

The shutdown and the possibility of a nuclear test were of great concern to nations trying to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear programs through six-party talks, he added.

In February, North Korea said it possessed nuclear weapons and was withdrawing from the talks, in which the United States, Japan, Russia, China and the two Koreas have taken part.

The last round took place in June 2004, and repeated efforts to restart the talks have failed.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
CPC, KMT leaders vow to end hostility across the Straits         New authority to oversee energy sector         EU launches investigation into textile imports         Bank denies yuan revaluation next week         Japan's PM pushes strategic ties with India         Insurgents strike across Iraq, killing 50	EU-Iran nuclear dispute talks fail, more planned       Alleged Zarqawi tape threatens new attacks       Insurgents strike across Iraq, killing 50       Japan, India pledge support for U.N. seats       Putin to help with Palestinian security       Italy, U.S. disagree on agent's Iraq death