North Korea says US planning invasion

North Korea today accused Washington of using the nuclear weapons row as a excuse for mounting an invasion.

The rogue state is suspected of reactivating its nuclear weapons programme and US officials say that it has moved spent fuel rods containing enough plutonium to make several atomic bombs. It already has at least one bomb.

The state controlled news agency today interpreted comments by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to mean a military invasion is planned.

Rumsfeld had asserted that the US has the military strength to wage war against Iraq and North Korea at the same time.

The Central News Agency said in English: “The US much-publicised assertion that North Korea scrap its nuclear programme first is nothing but a pipe-dream as it calls for disarming (North Korea) under the absurd pretext of its nuclear programme and then launching a surprise attack on it to overthrow its political system.”