Bush says N. Korea nuclear test a threat

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - President Bush said Monday that a reported North Korean nuclear test poses a threat to global peace and security, denouncing it as "unacceptable."

WASHINGTON -
President Bush on Monday denounced a reported North Korean nuclear test as provocative, "unacceptable" and a threat to global peace and security.


He said the action deserves "an immediate response by the
United Nations Security Council."

Bush said he had called the leaders of
South Korea, China, Russia and Japan and all had reaffirmed a commitment to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. China and Russia are permanent members of the
U.N. Security Council, along with Britain, France and the United States.

In a brief statement in the diplomatic reception room of the White House, Bush said that
North Korea already was "one of the world's leading proliferators" of missile technology, including transfers to
Iran and
Syria.

"The transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States," Bush said. "And we would hold North Korea fully accountable for the consequences of such action."

Bush said the United States was still attempting to confirm that a nuclear explosion had actually taken place.

Still, he said, "such a claim itself constitutes a threat to international peace and security. The United States condemns this provocative act."

Bush, speaking somberly, said that in his discussion with other world leaders, "All of us agreed that the proclaimed actions taken by North Korea are unacceptable and deserve an immediate response by the United Nations Security Council."

Added the president: "Threats will not lead to a brighter future for the North Korean people."

Among those watching Bush from the back of the room were his wife
Laura Bush, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser
Stephen Hadley.

The reported nuclear test was denounced by Republicans and Democrats alike.

"Reports of North Korea's test of a nuclear weapon is an extremely dangerous and destabilizing event," said Sen.
John Kerry, D-Mass., a member of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee.

Kerry also used the occasion to criticize Bush. "Weapons of mass destruction pointed at our allies and strategic partners represents a shocking failure of President Bush's security policy, and a threat to the interests of peace and stability in the world.

House Speaker
Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., issued a statement denouncing North Korea's action as "the desperate act of a criminal regime" and said the House would support Bush and the international community in condemning that country's "reckless decision."

Rep. Tom Lantos (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., the senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said Pyongyang's reported nuclear test "is a setback for stability in Asia that threatens the global effort to halt the spread of such horrible weapons...It is a foolish risk with no lasting benefits."

In New York, John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said the United States would move quickly to seek a Security Council resolution condemning and possibly sanctioning North Korea.

"We've been working very, very closely with the government of Japan on this," Bolton said. "We're looking, as the president said in his comments, for very swift action by the Security Council. We think it's important to respond to even a claim of a nuclear test by the North Koreans."

Earlier, White House spokesman Tony Snow said the North Koreans gave the Chinese a heads-up on the test on Sunday. The Chinese then notified the U.S. embassy in Beijing, which passed the word to other U.S. officials, Snow said.

Hadley, the national security adviser, notified President Bush around 10 p.m. EDT, Snow said. South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that the suspected test was conducted at 9:36 p.m. EDT Sunday.

Snow declined to speculate on a possible U.S. response to a North Korean nuclear test. "At this point we're still assessing the data," he said.

Asked whether he knew of any plans for a military response, Snow said "no."

At least two U.S. officials sought to play down the size and sophistication of the explosion.

One intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. intelligence agencies detected an explosive event in North Korea with a force of less than a kiloton. Historically, the types of devices used in initial nuclear tests have yielded several kilotons of force. One kiloton is defined as the energy produced in an explosion of 1,000 tons of TNT.

"We cannot confirm if it was a nuclear explosion," the official said Monday morning.

Another U.S. government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of political sensitivity of the situation, said the seismic event could have been a nuclear explosion, but its small size was making it difficult for authorities to verify that.

North Korea is believed to have enough plutonium for as few as four and as many as about a dozen nuclear bombs. But until Sunday's apparent action, Pyongyang had never tested a device.

U.S. intelligence has been closely watching several sites in North Korea that could be used for a nuclear test. Movements of people, automobiles, fencing and other items convinced some analysts last week that a test could come soon.

Over the last week, U.S. officials have been anticipating news of such a nuclear weapons test.

The Security Council urged North Korea on Friday to cancel the planned test and return immediately to talks on scrapping its nuclear weapons program, saying that exploding such a device would threaten international peace and security. A statement adopted unanimously by the council expressed "deep concern" over North Korea's announcement.

The U.S. and its allies have been trying to lure North Korea back to stalled international efforts to persuade Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear weapons program.