'저는 그들의 땅을 지키기 위하여 싸웠던 인디안들의 이야기를 기억합니다. 백인들이 그들의 신성한 숲에 도로를 만들기 위하여 나무들을 잘랐습니다. 매일밤 인디안들이 나가서 백인들이 만든 그 길을 해체하면 그 다음 날 백인들이 와서 도로를 다시 짓곤 했습니다. 한동안 그 것이 반복되었습니다. 그러던 어느날, 숲에서 가장 큰 나무가 백인들이 일할 동안 그들 머리 위로 떨어져 말과 마차들을 파괴하고 그들 중 몇몇을 죽였습니다. 그러자 백인들은 떠났고 결코 다시 오지 않았습니다….' (브루스 개그논)





For any updates on the struggle against the Jeju naval base, please go to savejejunow.org and facebook no naval base on Jeju. The facebook provides latest updates.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Text Fwd:U.S. National Intelligence director affirms North’s space launch


*Image Source* as in the original article below

'National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 10 before the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on worldwide threats. AP Photo.'

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_northkorea/343718.html

U.S. National Intelligence director affirms North’s space launch

: But N. Korea’s launch of a ‘space-launch vehicle’ could still incur sanctions because U.S. policy equates satellites with missiles

Posted on : Mar.12,2009 10:24 KST Modified on : Mar.12,2009 11:18 KST

U.S. National Intelligence director affirms North’s space launch
But N. Korea’s launch of a ‘space-launch vehicle’ could still incur sanctions because U.S. policy equates satellites with missiles

United States Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair became the first high-ranking official in the United States to announce that he thought the object North Korea is planning to launch is in fact a satellite.

At the Annual Threat Assessment briefing for the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Blair said, “The North Koreans announced that they were going to do a space launch, and I believe that that’s what they intend.” He added, “I could be wrong, but that would be my estimate.”

With the public acknowledgement by Blair, who oversees 16 intelligence organizations in the United States, that North Korea’s launch vehicle is a satellite, some are interpreting this as meaning that the possibilities of an interception by the U.S. have decreased proportionally.

But in the briefing, Blair confirmed once again that he equates a satellite with a missile. With the U.S. administration sticking to the position that the technology is the same for a satellite launch rocket and an intercontinental ballistic missile, the possibility remains that the United States will pursue sanctions even if North Korea launches a satellite, in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718 forbidding the launching of a ballistic missile by North Korea.

In response to Blair’s statement, a Cheong Wa Dae official said, “It was not a remark conclusively stating that it is a satellite.” The official added, “Right now, it’s difficult to predict whether it will be a missile or a satellite.”

Another Cheong Wa Dae official noted that Blair used the expression “space-launch vehicle” rather than “satellite” in his response. “It could be a missile or a satellite, depending on whether you load a warhead or a satellite on the space-launch vehicle,” the official noted. This means that a space-launch vehicle does not mean a satellite and is simply an objective expression for a transporter.

Japanese media reported that there is no legal basis for sanctions and no possibility of a successful interception in the event that North Korea launches a long-range missile or satellite. The Yomiuri Shimbun commented Tuesday that the legal basis does not exist if North Korea launches a ballistic missile with range extending far beyond the territorial land and waters of Japan. Asai Motofumi, director of the Hiroshima Peace Institute at Hiroshima City University and a former Japanese foreign ministry official, wrote in the “Comments” section of the Tuesday edition of the Mainichi Daily News that according to the Outer Space Treaty, which states that all nations can explore and use outer space freely and without any discrimination, it is self-evident that North Korea too can exercise these rights.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

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