Despite concerns, NKorea defends rocket launch

A mock North Korean Scud-B missile, right, and other South Korean missiles are silhouetted at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, Monday, March 19, 2012. North Korea vowed Sunday to go ahead with plans to launch a long-range rocket, rejecting criticism in the West that it would scuttle recent diplomacy. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A mock North Korean Scud-B missile, right, and other South Korean missiles are silhouetted at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, Monday, March 19, 2012. North Korea vowed Sunday to go ahead with plans to launch a long-range rocket, rejecting criticism in the West that it would scuttle recent diplomacy. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Foreign visitors take souvenir photos near a mock North Korean Scud-B missile, back left, and other South Korean missiles at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, Monday, March 19, 2012. North Korea vowed Sunday to go ahead with plans to launch a long-range rocket, rejecting criticism in the West that it would scuttle recent diplomacy. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Foreign visitors walk around mock North Korea's Scud-B missile, left, and other South Korean missiles at Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, Monday, March 19, 2012. North Korea vowed Sunday to go ahead with plans to launch a long-range rocket, rejecting criticism in the West that it would scuttle recent diplomacy. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

BEIJING (AP) ? Despite China's concerns, a senior North Korean nuclear negotiator reiterated his government's position on a planned long-range rocket launch after holding talks Monday with his counterpart in Beijing.

Ri Yong Ho said the launch of the satellite is separate from recent talks with the United States and North Korea over food aid. The United States promised the aid in exchange for a suspension of North Korea's nuclear programs and has warned that the launch could jeopardize that agreement.

"The launching of the satellite is part to our right to develop space programs," Ri said outside a government guesthouse in Beijing. He warned that the North would respond to any threats on its sovereignty.

"Regarding the peaceful purpose of the satellite launching, if others are practicing double standards or inappropriately interfere with our sovereign rights, we will be forced to react to it. But we will try our best for these things not to happen," he said.

The U.S., Japan, Britain and others have urged North Korea to cancel the planned launch, calling it a threat to diplomatic efforts and warning that it would violate a U.N. ban on nuclear and missile activity because the same rocket technology can be used for long-range missiles.

China, North Korea's main political and economic ally, expressed rare concern Saturday about the planned launch and called on all parties to exercise restraint. Ri said he met with his Chinese counterpart Wu Dawei in Beijing but did not give details about their talks.

North Korea said Friday that it would fire an observation satellite into space on a new rocket as part of celebrations next month of the 100th anniversary of late President Kim Il Sung's birth.

Ri said Pyongyang was sending invitations to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency as part of implementing the agreement with the United States reached in February.

The agreement was seen at the time as a promising step toward better relations between them and progress toward restarting six-nation talks on North Korean nuclear disarmanent.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-03-19-AS-China-NKorea/id-82593691b4d24e82a4c98ab6660e624b

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