North Korea missiles ‘will put US at risk’

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North Korea is directly threatening the US by dev­eloping long-range missiles that could carry nuclear warheads, Robert Gates, the defence secretary, said in comments that raise the stakes in the dispute on the Korean peninsula.
美国国防部长罗伯特•盖茨(Robert Gates)表示，朝鲜开发可携带核弹头的远程导弹，正直接威胁到美国。他的言论提高了朝鲜半岛争端的风险系数。

Mr Gates said he believed Pyongyang could develop an intercontinental ballistic missile within five years, and described returning to international six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programme as a matter of urgency. But he added that the Stalinist regime had first to take concrete action, such as a moratorium on nuclear or missile tests.
盖茨表示，他认为朝鲜可能在5年内研制出一枚洲际弹道导弹，当务之急是重返国际社会围绕朝鲜核计划的六方会谈。但他补充称，斯大林式的朝鲜政权必须首先采取切实行动，比如暂停核试验或导弹试验。

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“With the North Koreans’ continuing development of nuclear weapons and their development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, North Korea is becoming a direct threat to the US and we have to take that into account,” Mr Gates said. “I don’t think it is an immediate threat but, on the other hand, I don’t think it is a five-year threat.”
“朝鲜一直在发展核武器，也在研发洲际弹道导弹，因此该国正成为美国的一个直接威胁，不容我们忽视。”盖茨表示，“我认为它并不是一个迫在眉睫的威胁，但另一方面，我也认为它并非5年后才构成威胁。”

“I think that North Korea will have developed an [intercontinental ballistic missile] within that time frame, not that they will have huge numbers or anything like that, but I believe that they will have a very limited capability,” Mr Gates added.
“我认为朝鲜将在此期间研制出一枚（洲际弹道导弹）、而不是拥有大批这种或类似的东西，但我认为他们将具备较为有限的生产能力。”

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In April 2009, Pyongyang tested its Taepodong-2 missile, with a range of about 4,000 miles – enough to hit parts of Alaska. But the US suggested that the final stage of the test failed.
2009年4月，朝鲜试射了“大浦洞2”导弹，射程约为4000英里，足可打到阿拉斯加。但美国认为，这项试验在最后阶段失败了。

Mr Gates’s remarks, made on a trip to China, underline Washington’s rising concerns about Pyongyang, which has also unnerved the region by expanding its nuclear programme and by military actions such as November’s shelling of a South Korean island.
盖茨在访华期间发表的这番言论，突显出华盛顿对朝鲜问题的担忧日增。朝鲜不断扩大核计划、以及类似去年11月炮轰韩国岛屿的军事行动，也引起了地区紧张。

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Reflecting US fears of further clashes on the peninsula, Mr Gates said there had been a “sea change in the attitude of the South Korean public in their willingness to tolerate the kind of provocations the North Koreans have engaged in for many years”.
盖茨表示，“韩国民众容忍朝鲜多年来采取的挑衅姿态的意愿已彻底转变”。此言反映出美国对朝鲜半岛爆发新冲突的担忧。

“Clearly, if there is another provocation there will be pressure on the South Korean government to react – we consider this a situation of real concern.”
“显然，如果再来一次挑衅，韩国政府将面临作出回应的压力。我们认为这种局势确实值得关切。”

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Last month Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, accused China of “myopia” for not putting more pressure on North Korea. But on his current visit Mr Gates has praised Beijing for using its influence to restrain Pyongyang from responding to South Korean military exercises.
上月，美国参谋长联席会议主席、海军上将迈克•马伦(Mike Mullen)曾批评中国“短视”，不肯向朝鲜施加更大压力。但盖茨在此行中却称赞中国政府利用自身影响力、阻止朝鲜对韩国军演作出反应。

The Pentagon chief also signalled a measure of sympathy with China’s call for a resumption of the six- party talks. “We think there is some urgency to proceeding down the track of negotiations and engagement,” he said, emphasising also the US call for “concrete steps” by Pyongyang to demonstrate its good faith. “We don’t want to see the situation that we’ve seen so many times before, which is the North Koreans engage in a provocation and then everybody scrambles diplomatically to try to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.”
对于中国呼吁恢复六方会谈，盖茨也表示出一定程度的赞同。“我们认为迫切需要沿着谈判和接触的道路继续前进。”他也强调，美国呼吁朝鲜采取“切实行动”展现诚意。“我们不希望看到以前多次出现的局势重演——朝鲜采取进行挑衅，然后各方手忙脚乱地试图以外交手段挽回残局。”

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Mr Gates added it was “probably self-evident” that President Barack Obama would discuss North Korea with President Hu Jintao when China’s leader visits Washington next week.
盖茨还表示，下周中国国家主席胡锦涛访问华盛顿时，将会与美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)探讨朝鲜局势，这“或许是不言而喻的事情