More N Korea arms tests 'possible'

A Christian woman was executed in North Korea for distributing the bible, according to reports

Britain has warned that it could not rule out further nuclear tests by North Korea amid heightened concerns in the region about the threat from the secretive communist regime.

The North Koreans test-fired a series of short-range missiles on Thursday, ratcheting up the tensions over its nuclear weapons programme.

In a briefing from Pyongyang for journalists in London - streamlined live on the Foreign Office website - Britain's ambassador Peter Hughes called for United Nations sanctions against North Korea to be "effectively and swiftly" implemented.

Mr Hughes said he had no evidence the North Koreans were planning a further long-range ballistic missile test in the coming days after their satellite launch in April using ballistic technology.

However, he warned that a repeat of May's underground nuclear test at some stage remained a possibility. "We cannot rule out that a further nuclear test will take place," he said.

The UN Security Council agreed a tightening of sanctions following the last test, including provisions to search any air, sea, and land shipments in or out of North Korea suspected of carrying banned weapons-related materials.

Pyongyang responded with a warning that it would treat any attempt to intercept its ships as an act of war.

Mr Hughes said there was speculation that North Korea was trying to attract the attention of the United States while strengthening its hand before a return to international talks.

However, he said that there appeared to be "no willingness whatsoever" on the part of the regime to resume negotiations. "The strong impression we get here in Pyongyang is that North Korea has concluded that it needs a nuclear capability to survive in what it claims to be a region that is hostile to it," he said.

Mr Hughes said that the latest manoeuvres could however be linked to efforts to pave the way for a successor to the country's ailing leader, Kim Jong-il, who recently appeared looking frail and ill amid reports he had suffered a stroke. He suggested that it could be a final reassertion of his power before handing over.