North Korea Says Previous Agreement Does Not Prevent Missile Tests
North Korea says that a 2002 agreement with Japan does not prevent it from conducting long range missile tests. A North Korean foreign ministry official told Japanese reporters Tuesday his country is not bound by any previous agreement or statement. The 2002 agreement between North Korea and Japan called for a moratorium on such missile tests. But North Korean officials did not confirm or deny that a missile test is imminent.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has joined leaders from Washington and the Asia Pacific region who are calling on Pyongyang to abandon any test plans. Mr. Annan urged North Korean to listen and hear what the world is saying. Pyongyang called on Washington not to develop space-based weapons and also accused the U.S. of having a deep-rooted scheme to gratify its ambition of world supremacy.
平壤表示，北韓2002年同日本簽署的一項協(xié)議不妨礙北韓進行遠程導彈試驗。北韓外交部一名官員星期二對日本記者說，北韓不受以往簽署的任何協(xié)議或聲明的約束。北韓和日本2002年達成的協(xié)議要求暫停遠程導彈試驗。不過，北韓官員沒有證實或否認北韓即將進行這類試驗的說法。
聯(lián)合國秘書長安南以及美國和亞太地區(qū)的領導人敦促平壤放棄導彈試驗計劃。安南呼吁北韓傾聽國際社會的聲音。平壤敦促美國不要研制空間武器，并指責美國懷有謀取世界霸權地位的野心。
North Korea says that a 2002 agreement with Japan does not prevent it from conducting long range missile tests. A North Korean foreign ministry official told Japanese reporters Tuesday his country is not bound by any previous agreement or statement. The 2002 agreement between North Korea and Japan called for a moratorium on such missile tests. But North Korean officials did not confirm or deny that a missile test is imminent.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has joined leaders from Washington and the Asia Pacific region who are calling on Pyongyang to abandon any test plans. Mr. Annan urged North Korean to listen and hear what the world is saying. Pyongyang called on Washington not to develop space-based weapons and also accused the U.S. of having a deep-rooted scheme to gratify its ambition of world supremacy.
平壤表示，北韓2002年同日本簽署的一項協(xié)議不妨礙北韓進行遠程導彈試驗。北韓外交部一名官員星期二對日本記者說，北韓不受以往簽署的任何協(xié)議或聲明的約束。北韓和日本2002年達成的協(xié)議要求暫停遠程導彈試驗。不過，北韓官員沒有證實或否認北韓即將進行這類試驗的說法。
聯(lián)合國秘書長安南以及美國和亞太地區(qū)的領導人敦促平壤放棄導彈試驗計劃。安南呼吁北韓傾聽國際社會的聲音。平壤敦促美國不要研制空間武器，并指責美國懷有謀取世界霸權地位的野心。