Former Official: North Korea Aids Syria
By BARRY SCHWEID
The Associated Press
Wednesday, September 26, 2007; 12:39 PM
WASHINGTON -- The target of Israel's air strike in northeastern Syria earlier this month was either a joint nuclear or missile facility with North Korea, John R. Bolton, a former senior Bush administration official, said Wednesday.
"I am definitely hearing it from U.S. and Israeli sources," Bolton said in an interview. "The information is very closely held."
The strike raised tensions in the region, but has not stopped the Bush administration from including Syria in its plans for Mideast peacemaking or for six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program. Those discussions are due to commence Thursday in Beijing.
"What the Israelis struck I cannot say; whether a nuclear or missile facility is not clear," Bolton said from his office at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
He offered the possibility that it was a joint research venture or simply a North Korea facility located in Syria. "Any of these options is enough to show proliferation by the North Koreans and that is very dangerous," Bolton said.
He ruled out other theories, meanwhile, including that the target was Iranian missiles to be shipped to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon for attacks on Israel or that Israel was testing Syria's air defenses.
"I don't think the Israelis would have taken the risk unless it was a very high-value target," Bolton said.
Neither American nor Israeli officials are saying whether the target was a nuclear or missile facility and many don't know, Bolton said.
The former State Department official and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said he did not object to the Beijing talks, which are designed to disable North Korea's nuclear program. At a session last February, North Korea agreed to shut down its main nuclear facility and eventually disable its programs in exchange for aid equivalent to 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil.
Bolton said it would be wrong, however, to remove North Korea from the U.S. list of countries that support terror and therefore are ineligible for various benefits.
"If they are cooperating with either Syria or Iran, such as on ballistic missile stuff, they should stay on (the list) with Syria and Iran," he said.
"If you are supporting terrorist regimes, you are a state supporter of terror," he said.
Bolton, as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security in the Bush administration, guided U.S. programs designed to try to halt the spread of dangerous weapons and technology. North Korea, Iran and Syria were among his primary targets.
Democrats, with a smattering of Republican help, blocked President Bush's subsequent nomination of Bolton to be the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Bush installed him in a temporary appointment in August 2005 but surrendered to congressional foes last December and gave up his fight to make Bolton the permanent ambassador.
Former Official: North Korea Aids Syria - washingtonpost.com
米 北朝鮮企業への制裁を延長
アメリカ政府は、北朝鮮の企業がミサイル技術の拡散にかかわり続けていたとして、この企業に対する制裁措置を延長する措置を取り、北朝鮮への対話路線の一方、核やミサイル技術の拡散には厳しく対処する姿勢を示しました。
この制裁は、アメリカの企業との取り引きなどを禁じるものです。今回対象となった北朝鮮の企業はすでに２年前に制裁措置を受けていますが、アメリカ国務省は、同じ企業が制裁以降もミサイル技術の拡散にかかわり続けていたことが確認されたとして、２６日、制裁措置をさらに２年間延長する措置を取りました。北朝鮮をめぐっては、２７日から北京で核開発問題についての６か国協議が再開されますが、国務省のケーシー副報道官は、会見で「北朝鮮の企業にはこれまでも制裁措置を行ってきており、継続の決定は６か国協議が始まるタイミングとは関係ない」と述べました。その一方で、ケーシー副報道官は「北朝鮮の企業によるミサイル技術の拡散に深刻な懸念を持っている。制裁措置は６か国協議で目指す朝鮮半島の非核化に向けた取り組みを補強するものだ」と述べ、北朝鮮との対話を促進しなが らも核やミサイル技術の拡散には厳しく対処する姿勢を示しました。
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６か国協議へ日本代表団出発
北朝鮮の核問題をめぐる６か国協議に出席するため、日本政府の代表団は、２７日午前、成田空港をたって中国の北京に向かいました。北朝鮮の核問題をめぐる６か国協議は、２７日から３０日までの４日間の日程で中国の北京で開かれます。
６か国協議の日本代表を務める外務省の佐々江アジア大洋州局長ら代表団は、２７日午前１０時前、成田空港を出発して北京に向かいました。今回の協議では、北朝鮮の核施設を使えなくする「無能力化」の手順や日程についてどこまで具体的に合意できるかや、その見返りとして北朝鮮が求めているテロ支援国家の指定解除やエネルギー支援をめぐる問題などが焦点となる見込みです。この中で、日本政府は、北朝鮮の核の放棄に向けた実質的な成果をあげるため、アメリカと連携しながら交渉に当たるとともに、拉致問題についてはできるだけ早期に協議を再開することを北朝鮮側と確認したい考えです。
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