U.S. says North Korea missile proposal worth discussing

From CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Indications that North Korea may be willing to scrap its intercontinental missile program in exchange for several satellite launches a year from outside its territory are "definitely worth discussing," Clinton administration officials said Friday.

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North and South Korea

But they cautioned that the administration is far from confident about the intentions of the usually secretive government in Pyongyang.

A report Friday in The Washington Post quoted Russian officials who said North Korean leader Kim Jong Il sent a confidential letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the missile program. The letter said North Korea would drop its intercontinental missile program if other countries would launch two or three satellites a year for Pyongyang, at their own expense, the officials said.

The threat of a North Korean missile attack is a major reason the United States is considering a limited national missile defense system. That proposed system has drawn sharp criticism from a number of countries, including Russia and Germany.

A key question U.S. officials have is whether North Korea would be satisfied with satellite launches from outside its territory, which would keep advanced missile technology out of its control.

A White House official said Friday that the United States had "a lot of questions," which will be asked of North Korea at the next bilateral missile talks, expected before the end of this year.

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Korean Central News Agency
North Korea: Politics and Government
North Korea
South Korean Government
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  •  South-North Korean Summit
UniKorea
CIA -- The World Factbook 1999 -- Korea, North
CIA -- The World Factbook 1999 -- Korea, South

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