N. Korean missile tests could threaten Canada: Harper

CBC News | July 7 2006

Canadians should be concerned about North Korea's missile testing, Prime Minister Stephen Harper warned Thursday after meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush.

"Missiles that are fired in the direction of the United States constitute a threat to Canada," Harper said.

Hours earlier, North Korea acknowledged for the first time that it had test-launched seven missiles from its east coast earlier in the week — including a long-range Taepodong-2 believed to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to Alaska.

The United States and Japan have led the chorus of voices warning of serious consequences if Pyongyang persists in firing missiles. But North Korean officials vowed Thursday to carry out more tests.

'Wouldn't take much' for missile to stray: Bush

Bush also warned Canadians of dangers during a joint news conference after he and Harper met at the White House in Washington, D.C. The president noted that a North Korean missile fired toward the United States could travel off course and accidentally strike Canada.

"[North Korea] could be seemingly firing a missile at the United States — this is all speculation — that could be headed toward the northwest of our country and it wouldn't take much for it to get off course," Bush said.

Harper said his Tory government wasn't prepared at this time to open the debate on whether Canada should reverse an earlier Liberal decision and join the U.S. ballistic missile defence program.

But after the meeting, the prime minister stressed that he understood the need to have a "modern and flexible defence system" to combat missile threats.

U.S. seeks multilateral response

Bush continued to emphasize that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, was isolating his country by continuing its missile testing.

"My view is that the best way to solve this problem diplomatically is for there to be more than one nation speaking to North Korea, more than America," Bush said.

A day earlier, Tokyo circulated a draft resolution at the UN Security Council that would ban any country from transferring funds, material and technology that North Korea could use in its missile programs.

China and Russia, who both hold veto power in the Security Council, said they favoured a weaker statement without the threat of sanctions.

The United States, Japan, China, Russia and South Korea have been negotiating with North Korea since 2003 to try to persuade it to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

In a bid to move diplomatic efforts along, the U.S. delegate to the six-nation talks, Christopher Hill, headed for China on Thursday. Hill was expected to visit Seoul on Friday night, followed by stops in Tokyo and Moscow.

Tests not tied to nuclear talks: N. Korea

But a spokesman from North Korea's Foreign Ministry said the missile tests were not related to the nuclear talks, which have stalled since Pyongyang boycotted the latest round in September 2005.

In a statement carried Thursday by the Korean Central News Agency, the Foreign Ministry also called the missile tests a success and said they would strengthen the country's self-defence capabilities.

North Korea said it would respond with "stronger measures" should the international community try to pressure Pyongyang to stop the test-firings.

Pyongyang has other missiles ready to launch: S. Korea

The seven missiles that North Korea launched starting at about 3:30 a.m. local time Wednesday (about 2:30 p.m. ET Tuesday) all landed in the Sea of Japan.

The statement from Pyongyang did not mention the apparent failure of the Taepodong-2, which U.S. security officials say fizzled less than a minute after takeoff.

Media reports in South Korea say the North has three or four short- or medium-range missiles on launch pads ready to be fired.

Japan has taken the hardest line against North Korea, saying Wednesday that it is considering economic sanctions, while Washington has pressed for a unified, international response.

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