U.S. downplays North Korean nuclear missile capabilities

2013-04-12 47

White House spokesman Jay Carney adds his voice Friday to a chorus of U.S. officials seeking to downplay a Pentagon report stating that North Korea already has nuclear missile capacity.

(SOUNDBITE)(English) WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY SAYING:

"I want to be clear that North Korea has not demonstrated the capability to deploy a nuclear armed missile."

A report, issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency concluded that North Korea likely has a nuclear bomb that can be launched on a missile.

However, defense and intelligence officials later cast doubt on the report, saying that it was a preliminary assessment that never reached senior levels of government.

(SOUNDBITE)(English) WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY SAYING:

"North Koreans have tested nuclear weapons and they have developed some missile technology. What they have not done is demonstrate a capacity to, a capability to deploy a nuclear armed missile, attach a warhead to a missile