美国防部长：美国暂时不会拦截“朝鲜导弹”
编辑点评：朝鲜宇宙空间技术委员会发言人2月24日称，朝鲜将发射“光明星2号”试验通信卫星。此前，美韩日等媒体称朝将试射“大浦洞-2”导弹，因此，各方对于是否拦截说法不一。
美国国防部长盖茨29日说，他认为朝鲜"似乎即将"发射一枚导弹，但美国不打算采取拦截行动。
盖茨在接受福克斯电视台采访时说，美国只有在本国领土遭到导弹威胁的情况下，才会采取行动予以拦截和击落。根据目前情况，美国不会采取这样的行动。
在被问及日本是否会采取拦截行动时，盖茨说，如果导弹发射失败碎片散落到日本，日方将采取相关行动。
A Japanese newspaper says North Korea is preparing to launch a short or medium-range missile in addition to a long-range rocket it plans to fire in early April. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says while he finds North Korea's actions "troubling," the United States has no plans to stop them.Defense Secretary Robert Gates says North Korea will probably test a long-range missile in early April in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, but unless the missile test threatens U.S. territory, the United States is not prepared to do anything to prevent it.
"I think if we had an aberrant missile, one that was headed for Hawaii or something like that, we might consider it, but I do not think we have any plans to do anything like that at this point," said Robert Gates.
Pyongyang says it plans to launch a communications satellite between April 4 and April 8 as part of its space development program, but officials in Japan, South Korea and the United States believe this is a cover to test its ballistic missile capabilities.
A Tokyo newspaper reports Japanese government officials say North Korea also plans to fire another missile shortly after the launch. Japan, South Korea and the United States have threatened to press for fresh U.N. sanctions if North Korea follows through on its tests.
Gates says these actions speak to North Korea's imperviousness to diplomatic overtures, but acknowledges the six-nation talks on North Korea, including Russia, China, Japan, the United States and South Korea, have made little headway recently.
Appearing on the television program Fox News Sunday, Secretary Gates says he believes this launch is evidence of North Korea's larger ambitions.
"I do not know anyone at a senior level in the American government who does not believe this technology is intended as a mask for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile," he said.
Gates says senior defense officials believe it is North Korea's "long-term intent" to attach a nuclear warhead on top of a missile, but is skeptical they have the ability to do so.
（责编：taoqibaobe）
