(AFP) – Sep 21, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The White House insisted Friday that it was "clear-eyed" about North Korea as it stonewalled questions about an Israeli strike allegedly sparked by nuclear cooperation between Pyongyang and Syria.

If true, transfers of atomic technology from the Stalinist state would cast a dark cloud over US policy towards North Korea, which US President George W. Bush, weighed down by the unpopular war in Iraq, has hailed as a success story.

North Korea has angrily denied sharing atomic know-how with Damascus, and some news reports have suggested that Israel's target was actually tied to missile exports from the cash-strapped regime to Syria.

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino flatly refused to confirm or deny media reports that Israel struck a nuclear site but sharply rejected suggestions that the incident showed Washington had been naive about Pyongyang's intentions.

"We're clear-eyed about the situation and the dangers," she said, one day after Bush himself warned that proliferation by North Korea would endanger an aid-for-denuclearization pact reached under six-country talks.

"As much as I'd like to be able to let some air out of the balloon on this story, I don't know and I just can't comment," she said, adding North Korean missile transfers were something that "obviously, we wouldn't want."

Asked why Bush had not specifically warned about "nuclear" proliferation on Thursday, Perino replied: "I don't think that he was trying to signal one way or the other regarding proliferation issues."

Asked whether Israel might have hit a missile site, Perino replied: "I'm not going to comment one way or the other."

At a press conference on Thursday, Bush repeatedly refused to comment on the specifics of the incident but warned North Korea that "proliferation" -- he never said "nuclear" -- could cost the regime in aid and recognition.

"To the extent that they are proliferating, we expect them to stop that proliferation, if they want the six-party talks to be successful," he said, referring to negotiations grouping the United States, North and South Korea, Russia, Japan and China.

Under those talks, North Korea agreed to dismantle its nuclear and nuclear weapons programs in return for a broad package of economic and diplomatic incentives.

On Friday, the White House shut itself tight to questions, with spokesman Tony Fratto saying: "I think I know when to follow the lead of the boss. And I think when he said, 'no comment,' it means, no comment. I will comply."

"I'm going to let you all in on a little secret, that there are lots of things that we know about and learn about in this building that we don't share with you from the podium," he said.

But the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed US officials, that Israel had warned the Bush administration about the possible nuclear ties before carrying out a September 6 air strike deep inside Syria.

Washington was "deeply troubled" by Israeli intelligence showing North Korean nuclear personnel in Syria, but Bush decided against an immediate response out of concern it could derail the six-party diplomacy, it said.

After assessing Israel's data, which included satellite imagery, the United States provided some confirmation before its ally went ahead with the night air raid, the Post reported.

But the quality of the Israeli intelligence, the nature of North Korea's assistance and the seriousness of Syria's atomic activities remained uncertain.

Also Friday, a report from South Korea's Yonhap news agency said North Korea has trained Syrian missile engineers and the Arab nation has bartered farm products and computers for missiles from the Stalinist state.

The reported air strike against Syria has been shrouded in secrecy and the Israeli government has kept up a wall of silence.

Israel's media and politicians on Thursday denounced former premier Benjamin Netanyahu for becoming the first official to say Israel was behind the attack.

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