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NORTH KOREA MAY HAVE NUKES

RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, February 10 (RIA Novosti) - It is quite possible that North Korea has nuclear weapons, Pavel Zolotaryov, Deputy Director of the USA-Canada Institute, said in Thursday's interview with RIA Novosti.

"I admit the possibility of North Korea possessing nuclear weapons. However, it has not carried out test operations, which would have let us be sure," the official said.

"We cannot claim that they have designed, built and put on a combat alert a missile, but we can admit that they can put up some samples of nuclear charges on rocket carriers," the expert believes.

"The aim of all the North Korean policy is to negotiate better terms and linger out reforms, and at the same time, continue receiving other states' economic aid," Zolotaryov pointed out.

The Russian expert ruled out possible use of force against North Korea. At the same time, he remarked that "the new US administration may take tougher measures than before, and a subjective factor in the US policy can have a negative impact on the developments in Korean Peninsula."

Meanwhile, Zolotaryov assumes that the situation can be settled by "reaching compromise, with the world community making certain exceptions for North Korea."

President of the Russian Scientific Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yevgeny Velikhov commented on North Korea's statement that it has created nuclear weapons. "Nowadays it is not a problem to create a nuclear device of the simplest kind if one has necessary materials. Nuclear technologies are not a secret any longer. The difficulty is in exact calculations. Nuclear weapons must undergo tests. Otherwise, to have a nuclear device and believe it is a weapon is dangerous."