N.K. urges U.S. to halt missile defense system development

North Korea has urged the United States to halt the development of its missile defense systems, contending that the project cannot win international support.

In a current topic commentary program on Nov. 21, the North's Korea Central TV asserted that a total of 79 U.N. member states, except for three nations including the U.S., supported a resolution calling for the observation and maintenance of the Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty submitted by Russia, China and others.

The North Korean broadcaster contended that the U. S. is attempting to revise the ABM pact that was concluded with Russia in 1972 to pave the way for the development of the National Missile Defense (NMD) program and Theater Missile Defense (TMD) systems. It added that the attempt is aimed at beating out its rivals, Russia and China, through military superiority and establishing military hegemony.

The television also claimed that such a U.S. maneuver would trigger a new global nuclear and missile weapons competition and could provoke another Cold War.

Therefore, Russia and China are taking a stern stance against Washington¡¯s moves to revise the ABM treaty as well as defense missile development, the North Korean mouthpiece asserted, and European countries are also opposed to the U.S. military programs.