North Korea not preparing for extended campaign: U.S.

November 25, 2010

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By Arshad Mohammed and Phil | Reuters – Wed, 24 Nov 10:05 PM EST

...

...WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States believes North Korea's artillery

attack on a South Korean island this week was an isolated action and Pyongyang

is not preparing for an extended military campaign, the State Department said on

Wednesday.

The U.S. military believes the attack is linked to the succession of the

reclusive state's leadership, said Admiral Mike Mullen, the top U.S. military

officer.

" This was, in our view, a one-off, premeditated act, " State Department spokesman

P.J. Crowley told reporters. " Without getting into intelligence matters, we

don't see that North Korea is ... preparing for an extended military

confrontation. "

Both Mullen and Crowley said China should take a leading role in resolving the

crisis.

Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States was

working with allies on ways to respond but said: " It's very important for China

to lead. "

" The one country that has influence in Pyongyang is China and so their

leadership is absolutely critical, " Mullen told a U.S. television talk show.

Crowley said the United States expects China to use its influence to get North

Korea to cease what he called its provocative behavior, saying Beijing could

play a central role in helping to calm the situation.

" China is pivotal to moving North Korea in a fundamentally different direction, "

the spokesman added.

" China does have influence with North Korea and we would hope and expect that

China will use that influence, first to reduce tensions that have arisen as a

result of North Korean provocations and then secondly (to) continue to encourage

North Korea to take affirmative steps to denuclearize, " he said.

North Korea on Tuesday fired a barrage of artillery shells at the island of

Yeonpyeong, killing two South Korean soldiers and civilians. The attack was the

heaviest since the Korean War ended in 1953 and marked the first civilian deaths

in an assault since the bombing of a South Korean airliner in 1987.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Phil ; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

....

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