Washington: US President George W Bush on Monday called North Korea's reported nuclear test a provocative act that requires an immediate response from the UN Security Council, as he faced a fresh election-year challenge.
Bush said he spoke by phone to leaders of China, South Korea, Japan and Russia – the other parties involved in long-stalled negotiations with North Korea – and all agreed that the test was unacceptable.
Speaking to reporters, Bush said US officials were working to confirm North Korea's claim that it detonated a nuclear device underground.
"Nonetheless, such a threat itself constitutes a threat to international peace and security. The United States condemns this provocative act," Bush said.
Sounding an ominous note, Bush also said North Korea has been a leading proliferator of missile technology, including transfers to Iran and Syria, and warned Pyongyang against a transfer of nuclear weapons.
"The transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States and we would hold North Korea fully accountable for consequences of such action," he said.
While stressing his commitment to diplomacy, Bush said he had told South Korea and Japan that "the US will meet the full range of our deterrent and security commitments" in the Asia-Pacific region. An intelligence source said a preliminary examination of the data did not indicate a large blast, or a series of explosions, but stressed that analysts were still working on a definitive evaluation.
It could take several days for intelligence analysts to determine whether the event was the result of an unsuccessful nuclear test, a small nuclear device or a non-nuclear explosion, said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity. "If it was a nuclear test, it appears to be more of a fizzle than a pop," the official said, calling it "a seismic event ... that would suggest an underground explosion."
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