North Korea continues to illegally export ballistic missiles and their
components to countries in Northern Africa, the Middle East and South
Asia, the Washington Times on Wednesday cited the CIA as saying in a yearly assessment of WMD proliferation .
"North Korea is among the world’s leading suppliers of ballistic missiles and related technology," the February unclassified report reads. "Over the years, (North Korea) has exported ballistic missile-related equipment, components, materials, technical expertise, and/or full missile systems."
The United States and the U.N. Security Council have passed a range of measures aimed at curbing the North's capacity to proliferate its ballistic missiles and other WMD-related technology. However, Pyongyang continues to frustrate the international community's best efforts to completely shut down its money-making proliferation efforts.
The North continues to have deep ties with Syria and Iran, and U.S. intelligence officials believe Pyongyang is interested in increasing its base of weapons clients, according to the CIA assessment delivered to Congress.
North Korea is thought to have aided Syrian work on a suspected plutonium producing nuclear reactor that was destroyed in a 2007 Israeli airstrike before completion. Damascus says the site was a military facility that housed no atomic operation.
Pyongyang, meanwhile, "retains the potential for exporting nuclear materials and technology," the CIA said.
The agency determined the Stalinist state is advancing work on missiles of "increasing range and sophistication." Pyongyang is prepared for what it says would be the launch of a long-range rocket in coming days; Washington and other nations believe the effort would instead be a test of the North's ballistic missile capabilities .
North Korea's two atomic test blasts in 2006 and 2009 augment the "assessment that the North has produced nuclear weapons," the CIA said.
The intelligence agency also accused firms in China of supporting atomic and missile development in Pakistan as well as Iran's missile activities.
"Chinese entities -- including private and state-owned firms -- continue to engage in WMD-related proliferation activities," the analysis says.
In addition, "China remains one of Russia's largest customers of nuclear-related equipment," the report says (Bill Gertz, Washington Times, April 11).
http://www.nti.org/gsn/
"North Korea is among the world’s leading suppliers of ballistic missiles and related technology," the February unclassified report reads. "Over the years, (North Korea) has exported ballistic missile-related equipment, components, materials, technical expertise, and/or full missile systems."
The United States and the U.N. Security Council have passed a range of measures aimed at curbing the North's capacity to proliferate its ballistic missiles and other WMD-related technology. However, Pyongyang continues to frustrate the international community's best efforts to completely shut down its money-making proliferation efforts.
The North continues to have deep ties with Syria and Iran, and U.S. intelligence officials believe Pyongyang is interested in increasing its base of weapons clients, according to the CIA assessment delivered to Congress.
North Korea is thought to have aided Syrian work on a suspected plutonium producing nuclear reactor that was destroyed in a 2007 Israeli airstrike before completion. Damascus says the site was a military facility that housed no atomic operation.
Pyongyang, meanwhile, "retains the potential for exporting nuclear materials and technology," the CIA said.
The agency determined the Stalinist state is advancing work on missiles of "increasing range and sophistication." Pyongyang is prepared for what it says would be the launch of a long-range rocket in coming days; Washington and other nations believe the effort would instead be a test of the North's ballistic missile capabilities .
North Korea's two atomic test blasts in 2006 and 2009 augment the "assessment that the North has produced nuclear weapons," the CIA said.
The intelligence agency also accused firms in China of supporting atomic and missile development in Pakistan as well as Iran's missile activities.
"Chinese entities -- including private and state-owned firms -- continue to engage in WMD-related proliferation activities," the analysis says.
In addition, "China remains one of Russia's largest customers of nuclear-related equipment," the report says (Bill Gertz, Washington Times, April 11).
http://www.nti.org/gsn/
