Washington raised the question of possible cooperation between North Korea and Egypt on missile programs during the visit of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the United States, a US official said Tuesday.
"We have discussed during this visit with the Egyptians the issue of missile programs and cooperation with North Korea," a US official said on condition of anonymity.
The official declined to provide any further details regarding the talks or the type of potential cooperation between Pyongyang and Cairo.
According to a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report released in January on weapons of mass destruction, "during the first half of 2001, Egypt continued its long-standing relationship with North Korea on ballistic missiles", according to AFP.
In November, Mubarak denied South Korean as well as Israeli media reports that North Korea had reached a secret deal with Egypt to sell medium-range missiles and related technology.
"I have already said several times that we are doing nothing to acquire this kind of weaponry," Mubarak told the agency at the time, responding to questions about the press reports.
"Had there been such a deal, we would have announced it. In today's world, nothing can be hidden away," he said.
In his January 29th State of the Union address before Congress, US President George W. Bush branded North Korea, along with Iraq and Iran as part of an "axis of evil" for pursuing weapons of mass destruction. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
