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North Korea has ballistic missile capable of hitting U.S.
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| LiquidX |
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- North Korea has an untested ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States, top U.S. intelligence officials said Wednesday.
While testifying at a Senate committee hearing in Washington, CIA Director George Tenet was asked whether North Korea had a ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. West Coast.
Before answering, Tenet turned to very quickly consult with aides sitting behind him.
"I think the declassified answer, is yes, they can do that," Tenet said.
Defense Intelligence Agency Director Vice Adm. Lowell Jacoby, also testifying at the hearing, said outside the hearing room that the North Korean missile has not yet been flight tested, according to The Associated Press.
Moments earlier Tenet said it was likely that North Korea had been able to produce as many as two plutonium-based nuclear weapons.
The estimate is not new -- it was laid out in an unclassified CIA document in December 2001-- but Tenet is the most senior U.S. official to say so publicly.
The 2001 report said North Korea's Taepo Dong 2 missile may be capable of hitting the West Coast of the United States, as well Alaska and Hawaii.
The revelation came shortly after the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency declared North Korea in breach of international nuclear agreements and sent the issue to the U.N. Security Council.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation executive board voted 31-0 to cite Pyongyang for being in breach of U.N. safeguards. Two countries, Russia and Cuba, abstained.
Russia had expressed concern over sending the matter to the Security Council, fearing it could push North Korea into further defiance. Sudan was not allowed to vote because it has not paid its dues, and another nation was not present.
Some officials have said there are moves to create a package for North Korea that would try to achieve a diplomatic solution. But the Security Council also could impose sanctions on Pyongyang in an attempt to persuade the North to drop its nuclear plans.
North Korea has said such a move would amount to a declaration of war.
The decision to send the matter to the Security Council comes at the same time that body has been dealing with weapons inspections in Iraq and whether Baghdad has been in compliance with U.N. Resolution 1441, which calls on Iraq to disarm.
Friday, the two top U.N. weapons inspectors report back to the council on their latest findings within Iraq.
European Union international policy chief Javier Solana -- who spent the last two days in meetings in South Korea -- said earlier Wednesday that now is not the time to impose sanctions on North Korea.
"I don't think this is the moment to do sanctions, and I do think the sanctions may contribute to the opposite that we want to obtain, which is defusing of the crisis," Solana said before the IAEA vote.
During his visit to Seoul, Solana has met with top South Korean officials, including President Kim Dae-jung, President-elect Roh Moo-hyun, the foreign minister and the minister of defense.
Solana also may travel to North Korea in the coming weeks to discuss ways to defuse the nuclear impasse. He said he would base the timing of any mission to Pyongyang on the wishes of North Korea's neighbors.
"All of them have told me 'the sooner, the better,' so we will do it the sooner, the better, Solana said.
Tensions have mounted on the Korean peninsula since last October when the United States said North Korea admitted to secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program in violation of a 1994 deal.
Pyongyang, which denies the U.S. claim, responded by backing out of a nuclear non-proliferation treaty earlier this year, kicking out U.N. nuclear monitors and restarting a mothballed nuclear power plant in a move it says will compensate for an energy shortfall.
I only got a few words to this, Mr.Bush, please go to the real threat ! ? :nervous: |
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| occrider |
| I'm not COMPLETELY sure but I think the Taepo Dong 2 missile only has the capability to carry conventional, chemecial, or biological warheads. Developing a nuclear capable ICBM is far more difficult than developing an intercontinental missile with a mediocre guidance package. Hell even the Germans way back in WW2 were developing an intercontinental missile to attack New York. So yes it is an alarming issue, but there's no need to be worrying about fallout shelters at this time. Besides ... there's a reason why we're developing an ABM system :) |
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| ahlamalek |
| we discussed this before, NK has no capabilty to hit the US. specialists are unanimous. BUT! they can hit Japan and South Korea easily... thats much more of a concern than them hitting the US:rolleyes: |
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| King_Mack |
| CNN trying to raise eyebrows again basically. i wonder what south korea's stance is right now..since North Korea is under heat. Im not sure if any of you guys have seen the Larry King live interview with Bill Clinton, but he gave a more "smarter" solution to approaching North Korea than Bush would ever agree with. |
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| LiquidX |
| By the way, the missils situation is not just on CNN , but on about almost every media, at least it was in my towns newspapers as well. |
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| King_Mack |
^^
well...i only said CNN in representation of western media....since CNN is the most "popular". |
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| Izzy |
| quote: | Originally posted by ahlamalek
NK has no capabilty to hit the US. |
be it right or wrong that doesnt mean they arent trying. i would be in a state of shock if NK didnt have some weapons program trying to enhance their ICBM technology |
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| ahlamalek |
yes you are completely right... and actually I'm way more worried about NK than Irak. NK are hysterical (just read some of their press releases) and you'll understand what I mean by that. They wouldn't hesitate attacking south korea or japan.
But stating that NK has some missile being able to cross the Pacific is just an exageration. Maybe in 10 years, but not now. |
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| occrider |
| quote: | Originally posted by ahlamalek
yes you are completely right... and actually I'm way more worried about NK than Irak. NK are hysterical (just read some of their press releases) and you'll understand what I mean by that. They wouldn't hesitate attacking south korea or japan.
But stating that NK has some missile being able to cross the Pacific is just an exageration. Maybe in 10 years, but not now. |
Well by the time they do have the capability our ABM shield should be in place. |
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| deejay2002 |
| Even if North Korea fires their missile, I doubt it will even go past Hawaii. The US will probably blow it up in mid air..... |
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| JohnSmith |
Canada has missiles that could reach the US as well.
INVADE TORONTO!! |
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| LiquidX |
| Some of you are thinking that the missil wont get passed Hawaii or never reach the US, but what about the other neighboring countries ? the Missiel shielding protects the US, but to the rest of the countries is pretty much dangerous . If NK does not get the attention it wants, they will act, they are acting like crazy mofos. |
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