North Korea more dangerous than Iraq, Australian minister says
North Korea more dangerous than Iraq, Australian minister says
CANBERRA (AFP): Australian Defense Minister Robert Ray warned yesterday that North Korea would be a far more dangerous opponent than Iraq if the present nuclear crisis escalated into military conflict.
The United Nations Security Council last week called on North Korea to allow full inspections of its nuclear facilities -- which it has so far refused.
Ray told Nine Network Australia that North Korea, suspected of developing nuclear weapons, was the most serious flashpoint in the world and he predicted the crisis would drag on for several months.
"The Koreans have given a variety of assurances with regard to their nuclear program, yet they will not allow proper inspection of those processes," Ray said. "Allied with the fact that they are trying to develop ballistic missiles, that is a very dangerous mix for countries such as Japan and South Korea."
He said North Korea had a very strong and competent standing army and would be a far more dangerous opponent than Iraq had been against the United States in the Gulf War.
"But one hopes it won't get to that situation, I doubt it will," Ray said, adding that China would have a key role in pressing North Korea to change its stand.
Asked whether Australian troops would become involved engaged if hostilities broke out between North Korea and its neighbors, Ray said "That depends on the circumstances at the time and it is a very hypothetical question.
Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans expressed optimism after meeting Chinese leaders in Beijing on Saturday that China would not block efforts to impose sanctions on North Korea if talks on the nuclear crisis broke down.
Readiness
South Korea this weekend said it was maintaining its armed forces on the state of "enhanced defense readiness" it had entered in November, until tension over the lingering nuclear impasse is eased.
However a defense ministry official said that last Wednesday troops had stood down from a week-long, higher alert, held while President Kim Young Sam was visiting Tokyo and Beijing for talks on the nuclear issue.
The heightened vigilance includes a round-the-clock monitoring of North Korean military movements, the official said without giving further details.
US forces meanwhile were undergoing routine spring training exercises, spokesmen said, while in Washington South Korean Foreign Minister Han Sung-Joo said talks were underway on whether and when to resume joint Team Spirit military exercises.
Team Spirit, usually held in March, was suspended as part of the package deal with North Korea that collapsed when Pyongyang prevented the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from completing inspections of nuclear sites at the Yongbyon nuclear complex north of Pyongyang March 3-15.
The IAEA must make another inspection at Yongbyon before mid- May to ensure continuity of safeguards.
In Seoul, some 1,500 students demonstrated on Saturday against the deployment of defensive Patriot missiles here, while on the southern island of Cheju former South Korean opposition leader Kim Dae-Jung also said the deployment should not go ahead.
Kim Dae-Jung, who bowed out of active politics in 1992 but still has a large following here, also told Cheju National University students that Team Spirit should not resume as it could "impede attempts" to resolve the nuclear issue.