US warns N Korea it can wage war on two fronts

By Peter Spiegel in Washington, Charles Clover in Kuwait and Mark Turner at the United Nations for The Financial Times

Published: December 24 2002

Donald Rumsfeld, US defence secretary, yesterday warned North Korea not to feel "emboldened" because of the Bush administration's focus on Iraq. The US military was capable of winning large-scale conflict in two regions if necessary, he said.

North Korea has moved a step closer to harvesting plutonium - potentially enough for several nuclear weapons - by removing seals on 8,000 spent fuel rods at its reactor at Nyongbyon. International observers said the move was inconsistent with North Korea's contention that it simply needs the reactor for electricity generation.

Mr Rumsfeld said: "We are capable of fighting two major regional conflicts. We are capable of winning decisively in one and swiftly defeating in the case of the other. And let there be no doubt about it."

The intensified rhetoric from Washington came as UN weapons inspectors in Iraq began to shift tactics to a more "probing phase" of investigations, readying themselves to begin interviews with Iraqi scientists who have first-hand knowledge of Saddam Hussein's weapons programme.

Mohamed ElBaradei, chief of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the interviewing of some scientists had begun within the country. He added that plans were being made to take them outside Iraq for questioning, but that preparations were still in the early stages.

"We have first however to identify those who are willing to co-operate with us, those who have critical information that will enable us to succeed," Mr ElBaradei said.

IAEA officials said some of the key scientists had been identified, but sources from the UN weapons inspection commission Unmovic, which deals with non-nuclear issues, suggested they had not yet begun interviews in private rooms.

"We need to be concerned about their safety, either providing them asylum or, if they decide to go back, that their safety and their families are secure," said Mr ElBaradei.

Iraq made moves of its own to prepare for war, saying it would deploy international volunteers as a "human shield" in the event of an invasion. Iraqi officials said the volunteers - whom they expected from the US and Europe as well as from the Arab world - would sit at strategic sites around Iraq to deter allied bombers.

Iraq also shot down an unmanned US Predator drone flying over the southern no-fly zone yesterday morning, although US officials said they did not think the attack, believed to have come from an Iraqi warplane, showed an escalation of hostilities.

"We have lost two other Predators, I believe, to hostile fire in southern Iraq," said General Richard Myers, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. "They attempt to shoot down all our aircraft . . and they got a lucky shot today."

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