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The United States has activated its ground-based interceptor missile-defense system amid concerns over an expected North Korean missile launch, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday.
Pentagon officials declined to say whether they would try to shoot down any missile launched by the reclusive communist state, but other U.S. officials have said that is unlikely, assuming the launch is aimed at open water.
Many U.S. experts say Pyongyang has a legal right to test and there are questions about the accuracy of U.S. missile defenses.
Pyongyang had no immediate comment, but a North Korean official said earlier the country does not feel bound by pledges to halt test firings of long-range missiles.
A U.S. defense official confirmed a Washington Times report that the Pentagon had switched its multibillion-dollar missile-defense system from test mode to operational.
"It's good to be ready," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Pentagon spokesman Eric Ruff, asked whether the United States would try to shoot down a North Korean missile, said: "We have a limited missile-defense system ... We don't discuss the alert status or the specific capabilities."
The United States has built a complex of interceptor missiles, advanced radar stations and data relays designed to detect and shoot down an enemy missile. Test results have been mixed, but officials had previously said the system could be activated on short notice. North Korea has placed a long-range Taepodong-2 missile on a launch pad, but may not have finished fueling it, U.S. and South Korean officials said.
"They seem to be moving forward toward a launch, but the intelligence is not conclusive at this point," White House National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters traveling with President Bush to Vienna aboard Air Force One.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon urged Pyongyang to scrap test plans.
The United States has said it would be a provocation if North Korea launched the missile, which some experts said could reach Alaska. Regional powers have warned a launch would be a grave mistake.
Both sides may have an interest in stoking the missile issue, nonproliferation expert Charles Ferguson of the Council on Foreign Relations told Reuters. "I think we're hyping it too much and that's perhaps what the North Koreans want us to do. They feel that they've been forgotten and are off the radar screen."
He said the Bush administration may be seeking to rally domestic support for the missile-defense system, as well as financial backing from Japan.
U.S. officials said they have seen no significant changes in the test site in the past 24 hours, and poor visibility over North Korea could persist for most of the week, possibly delaying any launch.
"We certainly are pleased there hasn't been a test to date. Whether it's a result of our diplomacy or other reasons is hard to say, but what you've seen is a pretty uniform response from the international community (opposing a test) and that in and of itself is telling," a senior U.S. official said.
If Pyongyang tests, Washington is likely to tighten existing trade sanctions against the North and push a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the test. Some U.S. officials expect Japan and South Korea to also enact tough measures.
The senior official said even as participants in six-country talks on ending the North's nuclear program contemplate punitive steps, they are also looking to revive negotiations.
This could involve a meeting of the parties, whether or not North Korea participates, but there is no expectation that chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill would visit Pyongyang in a bid to salvage the stalled talks.
"The North Korean preparations for a missile test have underscored the importance of common action within the six-party context," the senior official said.
He said the issue also gives new urgency to implementing a September 2005 agreement in which Pyongyang would abandon its nuclear programs in return for economic and political benefits. North Korea reneged on the terms soon after the agreement was announced.
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060620144509990018&ncid=NWS00010000000001
Pentagon officials declined to say whether they would try to shoot down any missile launched by the reclusive communist state, but other U.S. officials have said that is unlikely, assuming the launch is aimed at open water.
Many U.S. experts say Pyongyang has a legal right to test and there are questions about the accuracy of U.S. missile defenses.
Pyongyang had no immediate comment, but a North Korean official said earlier the country does not feel bound by pledges to halt test firings of long-range missiles.
A U.S. defense official confirmed a Washington Times report that the Pentagon had switched its multibillion-dollar missile-defense system from test mode to operational.
"It's good to be ready," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Pentagon spokesman Eric Ruff, asked whether the United States would try to shoot down a North Korean missile, said: "We have a limited missile-defense system ... We don't discuss the alert status or the specific capabilities."
The United States has built a complex of interceptor missiles, advanced radar stations and data relays designed to detect and shoot down an enemy missile. Test results have been mixed, but officials had previously said the system could be activated on short notice. North Korea has placed a long-range Taepodong-2 missile on a launch pad, but may not have finished fueling it, U.S. and South Korean officials said.
"They seem to be moving forward toward a launch, but the intelligence is not conclusive at this point," White House National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters traveling with President Bush to Vienna aboard Air Force One.
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon urged Pyongyang to scrap test plans.
The United States has said it would be a provocation if North Korea launched the missile, which some experts said could reach Alaska. Regional powers have warned a launch would be a grave mistake.
Both sides may have an interest in stoking the missile issue, nonproliferation expert Charles Ferguson of the Council on Foreign Relations told Reuters. "I think we're hyping it too much and that's perhaps what the North Koreans want us to do. They feel that they've been forgotten and are off the radar screen."
He said the Bush administration may be seeking to rally domestic support for the missile-defense system, as well as financial backing from Japan.
U.S. officials said they have seen no significant changes in the test site in the past 24 hours, and poor visibility over North Korea could persist for most of the week, possibly delaying any launch.
"We certainly are pleased there hasn't been a test to date. Whether it's a result of our diplomacy or other reasons is hard to say, but what you've seen is a pretty uniform response from the international community (opposing a test) and that in and of itself is telling," a senior U.S. official said.
If Pyongyang tests, Washington is likely to tighten existing trade sanctions against the North and push a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the test. Some U.S. officials expect Japan and South Korea to also enact tough measures.
The senior official said even as participants in six-country talks on ending the North's nuclear program contemplate punitive steps, they are also looking to revive negotiations.
This could involve a meeting of the parties, whether or not North Korea participates, but there is no expectation that chief U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill would visit Pyongyang in a bid to salvage the stalled talks.
"The North Korean preparations for a missile test have underscored the importance of common action within the six-party context," the senior official said.
He said the issue also gives new urgency to implementing a September 2005 agreement in which Pyongyang would abandon its nuclear programs in return for economic and political benefits. North Korea reneged on the terms soon after the agreement was announced.
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060620144509990018&ncid=NWS00010000000001
