US Not to Blame for North Korea Nuclear Test, Says Bolton

The United States has defended branding North Korea part of the "axis of evil" and said it now fears that it could supply nuclear weapons to terrorists.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said the isolated east Asian state posed "a very serious threat to international peace and security", and defended American attempts to strengthen sanctions against North Korea in the wake of its nuclear test.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, he said: "North Korea has supplied weapons to states in the Middle East that are supporters of terrorism. Our fear is North Korea itself could supply a nuclear device to a terrorist group."

Asked what he would say to those who believed that North Korea was driven to carry out a nuclear test by being described as part of the "axis of evil", Mr Bolton said: "Get a life."

He added: "The North Koreans have been pursuing nuclear weapons for at least 10 to 12 years. They signed the agreed framework in 1994, promising to give up the pursuit of nuclear weapons, and then began violating the agreement almost before the ink was dry. This has nothing whatever to do with the 'axis of evil' statement."

Yesterday, Mr Bolton asked the UN security council to adopt new sanctions against Pyongyang, including the prohibition of all trade in military and luxury goods, and a crackdown on illegal financial dealings.

Today, the South Korean prime minister said Seoul would not support a UN resolution against North Korea which was backed by the threat of military force.

North Korea's long-term ally China also shied away from endorsing sanctions, saying that the UN should "take positive" measures to encourage disarmament.

China's foreign ministry vented its anger with its communist ally over the test for a second day, with a spokesman saying that relations had been harmed.

"The nuclear test will undoubtedly exert a negative impact on our relations," the spokesman, Liu Jianchao, said at a press conference.

But Mr Liu urged the use of diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis and said the time was not right for punishment, much less military action.

"What we should discuss now is not the negative issue of punishment," he said.

"Instead, the international community and the United Nations should take positive and appropriate measures that will help the process of de-nuclearisation on the Korean peninsula."

As a permanent member of the security council, China holds a decisive say over how stern a punishment the international community can impose on North Korea.

A South Korean envoy, returning to Seoul from Beijing, said that China had dropped its previous opposition to tough sanctions.

But Mr Liu would not confirm this and did not respond directly to repeated questions about whether China would block or endorse UN sanctions against the regime.

Today, the British prime minister, Tony Blair, added his voice to international condemnation of the nuclear test, describing it as "very very serious situation".

He urged North Korea to focus instead on tackling poverty. "The people live in virtual starvation, almost a form of political oppression akin to slavery, and meanwhile they spend billions of dollars on a nuclear weapons programme," Mr Blair told BBC Breakfast.

A defiant North Korea meanwhile, stoked tensions by threatening more nuclear tests if the US did not engage in direct talks.

A North Korean official scoffed at sanctions and demanded concessions from Washington.

Quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, the unnamed official said: "We hope the situation will be resolved before an unfortunate incident of us firing a nuclear missile comes.

"The nuclear test is an expression of our intention to face the United States across the negotiating table," the official said. "What we want is security of the [North], including guaranteeing our system."