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June 19th, 2006, 07:55 PM
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea has finished loading fuel into a long-range ballistic missile, a Bush administration official said Monday as signs continued that the reclusive communist state will soon test a weapon that could reach the United States.
U.S. intelligence indicates that the long-range missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2, is fully fueled, said the official, who requested anonymity because the information comes from sensitive intelligence methods.
That reportedly gives the North a launch window of about a month.
Aboard Air Force One with President Bush, White House spokesman Tony Snow declined specific comment on reports that the fueling is complete.
"North Korea has imposed a moratorium on launching missiles," Snow said. "We hope it will continue that moratorium and we hope it also will abide by commitments it made," last year to dismantle nuclear weapons and renounce further development of them.
Snow said the United States has talked directly with North Korean representatives in New York, a reference to a diplomatic channel through the North's United Nations mission. Snow would not disclose contents of the discussion, but diplomats from numerous countries have been telling the North Koreans to back off any plans for a missile test launch.
Bad weather near the suspected launch site could delay any test for several days.
North Korea referred to its missile program for the first time Monday, but has not said it intends to perform the test.
A North Korean state television broadcast, monitored in Seoul, South Korea, cited a Russian editorial on the missile and said the North "has the due right to have a missile that can immediately halt the United States' reckless aerial espionage activity."
The North has repeatedly complained in recent weeks about alleged U.S. spy planes watching its activities.
U.S. officials have said the 116-foot-long Taepodong-2 has a firing range of 9,300 miles and could reach as far as the U.S. mainland.
A test would be the North's first significant missile launch since a 1998 test that send a missile over Japanese territory. Pyongyang has abided by a self-imposed test moratorium since 1999, even while continuing separate development of a nuclear weapons program.
North Korea says it needed nuclear weapons and a such potential delivery systems as a missile to counter what it claims are U.S. intentions to invade or topple the government. The United States has repeatedly denied any plans to invade.
The North bargained with five nations including the United States to reach last year's nuclear deal, which gives the North economic rewards for giving up weapons. The deal faltered almost as soon as it was announced in September 2005, and the North later walked away from the six-way talks in a dispute over a U.S. crackdown on alleged North Korean counterfeiting and fraud.
The United States, Japan, Australia and News Zealand all cautioned the impoverished country that a test would bring serious consequences and further isolate the regime. The White House has warned of an appropriate response and Japan has threatened a "fierce" protest to the United Nations.
"Japan has been urging North Korea to stop the attempt to launch a missile," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said. "We are making efforts to urge North Korea to act rationally and with self-restraint."
"If it does not listen to us and fires a missile, we have to consult with the United States and take stern measures," he added.
He refused to specify possible steps, but other officials have mentioned sanctions and a "fierce" protest to the U.N. Security Council.
U.S. intelligence indicates that the long-range missile, believed to be a Taepodong-2, is fully fueled, said the official, who requested anonymity because the information comes from sensitive intelligence methods.
That reportedly gives the North a launch window of about a month.
Aboard Air Force One with President Bush, White House spokesman Tony Snow declined specific comment on reports that the fueling is complete.
"North Korea has imposed a moratorium on launching missiles," Snow said. "We hope it will continue that moratorium and we hope it also will abide by commitments it made," last year to dismantle nuclear weapons and renounce further development of them.
Snow said the United States has talked directly with North Korean representatives in New York, a reference to a diplomatic channel through the North's United Nations mission. Snow would not disclose contents of the discussion, but diplomats from numerous countries have been telling the North Koreans to back off any plans for a missile test launch.
Bad weather near the suspected launch site could delay any test for several days.
North Korea referred to its missile program for the first time Monday, but has not said it intends to perform the test.
A North Korean state television broadcast, monitored in Seoul, South Korea, cited a Russian editorial on the missile and said the North "has the due right to have a missile that can immediately halt the United States' reckless aerial espionage activity."
The North has repeatedly complained in recent weeks about alleged U.S. spy planes watching its activities.
U.S. officials have said the 116-foot-long Taepodong-2 has a firing range of 9,300 miles and could reach as far as the U.S. mainland.
A test would be the North's first significant missile launch since a 1998 test that send a missile over Japanese territory. Pyongyang has abided by a self-imposed test moratorium since 1999, even while continuing separate development of a nuclear weapons program.
North Korea says it needed nuclear weapons and a such potential delivery systems as a missile to counter what it claims are U.S. intentions to invade or topple the government. The United States has repeatedly denied any plans to invade.
The North bargained with five nations including the United States to reach last year's nuclear deal, which gives the North economic rewards for giving up weapons. The deal faltered almost as soon as it was announced in September 2005, and the North later walked away from the six-way talks in a dispute over a U.S. crackdown on alleged North Korean counterfeiting and fraud.
The United States, Japan, Australia and News Zealand all cautioned the impoverished country that a test would bring serious consequences and further isolate the regime. The White House has warned of an appropriate response and Japan has threatened a "fierce" protest to the United Nations.
"Japan has been urging North Korea to stop the attempt to launch a missile," Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said. "We are making efforts to urge North Korea to act rationally and with self-restraint."
"If it does not listen to us and fires a missile, we have to consult with the United States and take stern measures," he added.
He refused to specify possible steps, but other officials have mentioned sanctions and a "fierce" protest to the U.N. Security Council.