White House Casts Doubt on North Korea Nuclear Test as UN Weighs Response

White House spokesman Tony Snow on Tuesday questioned the significance and even the authenticity of North Korea's claim that it had conducted a nuclear weapons test, telling reporters that confirmation had not yet been established.

Snow acknowledged that seismic activity had been detected but noted that the underground nature of the alleged test made verification difficult, since no gases or radioactive traces had escaped the site. He said a definitive conclusion might never be reached.

Despite the uncertainty, Snow emphasized that Washington still regarded the announcement as a provocation. He said US partners, including China and South Korea, shared that view and were aligned on the question of imposing sanctions against Pyongyang.

The UN Security Council was weighing possible responses as North Korea insisted it requires nuclear weapons to defend itself against what it sees as a US threat to its government, one of the few remaining Communist states in the world.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.