USA VS NORTH KOREA

AFP: Perry Warns Of War Over N Korea 'Early As This Year'
William Perry, who served as defence secretary under former President Bill Clinton, believes the United States and North Korea could be at war as early as this year, The Washington Post said today.
The immediate cause of concern, Perry said in an interview, was that North Korea appeared to have begun reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods.
Perry, who is widely respected in US national security circles and deeply involved in Korean policy issues, said the situation with North Korea "was manageable six months ago if we did the right things.
"But we haven't done the right things," he added.
Perry said he had not criticised President George W Bush's North Korea policy up to now "because I had hoped that the administration was going to act on this problem, and that public criticism might be counterproductive. But time is running out, and each month the problem gets more dangerous."


The Age:
US Warned Of 'Imminent' Nuclear Peril
Former United States Defence Secretary William Perry has warned that the US and North Korea are drifting towards war, with an "imminent danger" of nuclear explosions in American cities
Mr Perry said the US policy on North Korea was in disarray, with President George Bush to blame for an absence of negotiations. "I think he has come to the conclusion that Kim Jong-il is evil and loathsome and it is immoral to negotiate with him," Mr Perry said.