US tests confirm North Korea nuclear blast
Pastor Dale Morgan
US tests confirm North Korea nuclear blast*
Matt Weaver and agencies
Monday October 16, 2006
Guardian Unlimited
Air samples confirmed today that North Korea did conduct a small nuclear
explosion last week, according to research from the US that puts an end
to any lingering doubts.
Announcing the results of the analysis, the US national intelligence
director, John Negroponte, said scientists had detected "radioactive
debris" from samples taken last Wednesday - two days after North Korea's
nuclear test.
Until now, details of the explosion were sketchy. But Mr Negroponte said
that it took place around P'unggye and had a force of less than one
kiloton, which is equal to less than 1,000 tonnes of conventional TNT
explosives.
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This is the first confirmation from US intelligence that a nuclear test
actually took place, as North Korea announced last Monday.
US security analyst have spent the last seven days poring over data
collected since the explosion - air samples, seismic readings, satellite
imagery and communications intercepts - in an effort to reach a
conclusion on the nature of the test.
The finding comes at a diplomatically sensitive time. Citing new
inspections by China of trucks bound for North Korea, the Bush
administration said earlier today that it expected Beijing would do its
part to enforce a UN resolution punishing its reclusive ally for its
nuclear programme.
Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, said
there would be "enormous pressure on China to live up to their
responsibility" in enforcing the sanctions.
Japan and Australia, meanwhile, have announced that they may take
measures beyond the new UN resolution, which could include
stop-and-search mission against North Korea ships.
The US-sponsored resolution demands North Korea eliminate nuclear
weapons but rules out military action against the country, as the
Russians and Chinese demanded.
After the resolution was unanimously passed, North Korea's UN ambassador
accused council members of a "gangster-like" action that neglected the
nuclear threat posed by the US.
Russia's foreign ministry said today that it wanted an "adequate
response" from the North Korean leadership to the resolution. Its
statement confirmed the unusual show of regional unity against North Korea.