U.S. worried about regional arms race due to N. Korea: Clinton

By Lee Chi-dong
PHUKET, Thailand, July 23 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
criticized Thursday what she called North Korea's anachronistic claim aimed at
justifying its nuclear ambitions.

"I think they are living in a sort of time period that doesn't reflect today's
realities," the secretary said at a press conference after a session of the ASEAN
Regional Forum (ARF) on this Thai resort island.
North Korean delegates claimed Pyongyang has been subjected to threats by U.S.
nuclear weapons deployed in South Korea, a false charge since all tactical U.S.
nuclear weapons were removed from the peninsula in the early 1990s, Clinton said.
She added the U.S. is "very open to a positive relation with North Korea" on the
condition that it is denuclearized.
"But we are not interested in half measures," she said.
The U.S. diplomat also expressed worries about a possible regional arms race
because of North Korea.
"North Korea's continued pursuit of its nuclear ambitions is sure to elevate
tensions on the Korean Peninsula and could provoke an arms race in the region,"
she said. "This would serve no nation's interests."
Clinton reaffirmed that Washington is ready to provide defensive measures for its
regional allies such as South Korea and Japan.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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