'North Korea not to act like Syria in case US attacks'

Rsa - The war of words between North Korea and the United States has intensified in recent days. Pyongyang has said that Washington is pushing the region to the brink of an all-out nuclear war, after the US warned that the period of strategic patience was over with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.

News ID: 428973

Date: 18 April 2017 - 21:12

RNA - Carl Osgood, a US-based political commentator, cautioned the US officials about the grave consequences of military action against Pyongyang, stressing that North Korea is different from Syria and that firing the first missile would trigger a heavy barrage of missiles on Washington's allies and its military bases in the region.

During his visit to the neighboring South, US Vice President Mike Pence threatened North Korea with military action, prompting a swift response from North Korean officials who said the missile tests will continue on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.

“The potential for escalation is something serious and very real. North Korea is not Syria. There is no internal conflict in North Korea. If the US tries a cruise missile strike like what is done in Syria, then the North has the very serious capability of going to war against South Korea and targeting US bases,” Osgood noted.

He also opined that the main reason behind the recent escalation of tensions between Washington and Pyongyang is the measures the British government adopts because it is afraid of any rapprochement between the US and Russia or China.

“The problem really isn’t the US versus North Korea,” Osgood underlined, adding “the problem is the battle within Washington over control of President Trump’s foreign policy. It is really what the Russian ambassador to the UN said last week through the debate on Syria. It is the British. The British are deathly afraid of rapprochement between the US and Russia and if China is part of that, they are even more afraid.”

The tensions between the US and North Korea skyrocketed after President Trump assumed office in January. The new administration has repeatedly said that it is seriously worried about North Korea’s efforts to develop a nuclear-tipped missile that could hit the US mainland.

Pyongyang, however, argues that it needs to be prepared in case of an attack from Washington and its ally Seoul.

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