North Korea says it will not help
terrorists acquire nuclear weapons. U.S. President George Bush says the
United States would act to stop such a transfer if North Korea tries to
export nuclear technology.
North Korean General Ri Chan Bok told the American television network
ABC that his country's nuclear weapons are meant for self-defense, and are
not to be sold for profit.
General Ri, who commands troops in the demilitarized zone with South Korea,
says his country has no relations with terrorist organizations, and will
not give nuclear weapons to terrorists or other countries.
In a
separate interview with ABC, President Bush said he believes North Korean
nuclear weapons are a destabilizing force in the region, and he will use
all means necessary to hold Pyongyang to account, if it attempts to
transfer that technology.
"If we get intelligence that they are about to transfer a nuclear
weapon, we would stop the transfer. We would deal with the ships that were
taking, or the airplane that was dealing with taking the material to
somebody," he said.
In his interview with ABC, General Ri said North Koreans believe
President Bush wants to humiliate them by making them kneel before him.
The general says North Koreans cannot agree to that, and if the current
situation continues, he says, war on the Korean peninsula is inevitable.
White House Spokesman Tony Snow says the region is not on the verge of
war. He says President Bush has not engaged in personal insults against
North Korean leader Kim Jung Il, and has no desire to humiliate the North
Korean people.
"Not only do we not want North Korea to kneel down before them, what we
are trying to do is offer them a better deal, better economy, more
security, better relations with their neighbors, integration into the
global community, as opposed to isolation. Pretty good deal," Snow said.
Snow says the White House appreciates the efforts of a Chinese
delegation in Pyongyang.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
is also in the region working with allies to find the best way to
implement U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
Pyongyang says it considers those sanctions an act of war. General Ri
told ABC that sanctions must be lifted before there can be any progress in
diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff. |