For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
July 4, 2006
Statement on North Korea Missile Launches
On the afternoon of July 4 (Washington, DC time), the U.S. detected
multiple missile launches from North Korea, including the Taepo Dong 2.
The United States strongly condemns these missile launches and North
Korea's unwillingness to heed calls for restraint from the international
community. We are consulting with international partners on next steps.
This provocative act violates a standing moratorium on missile tests to
which the North had previously committed. Regardless of whether the
series of launches occurred as North Korea planned, they nevertheless
demonstrate North Korea's intent to intimidate other states by
developing missiles of increasingly longer ranges. We urge the North to
refrain from further provocative acts, including further ballistic
missile launches.
The September 2005 Joint Statement at the Fourth Round of the Six
Party Talks offered the North Korean government and the North Korean
people a better path. North Korea's actions only serve to further
isolate North Korea and harm its people. While the United States remains
committed to a peaceful diplomatic solution and to implementation of the
agreed upon Joint Statement, the North Korean regime's actions and
unwillingness to return to the talks appears to indicate that the North
has not yet made the strategic decision to give up their nuclear
programs as pledged to the other five parties. Accordingly, we will
continue to take all necessary measures to protect ourselves and our
allies.
We will be seeking to address this matter in discussions in New York
and with our allies and regional partners.
# # #