North Korea offers Nigeria missile deal

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North Korea has offered to sell Nigeria advanced missile technology, the Nigerian government said yesterday, prompting the United States to warn its African ally that it might face sanctions if it strikes a deal with Pyongyang.

Nigerian officials yesterday issued vague and contradictory statements about their intentions and the missile type on offer, although they acknowledged seeking ballistic-missile technology for "peaceful" purposes.

A sale would mark the first time that such technology has been introduced into sub-Saharan Africa, raising the prospect of a costly new arms race among some of the world's poorest and least-stable nations.

A North Korean delegation "came to us wanting a memorandum of understanding signed with us toward developing missile technology, and training and manufacture of ammunition," a spokesman for Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar was quoted as saying.

The delegation, led by Yang Hyong-sop, vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, discussed the proposal with Mr. Abubakar during a five-day visit to Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

The spokesman, Onukaba Ojo, was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying that a memorandum would be signed soon.

The state-run News Agency of Nigeria also said that Mr. Abubakar had "expressed an interest in signing a defense pact with North Korea on the grounds that the Asian country was developed in that area."

That statement did not specify whether the missile sale would be part of the agreement. However, Agence France-Presse quoted Mr. Ojo as saying: "There hasn't been any interest shown on our side."

The United States, which is trying to undercut the North's ability to sell missile and nuclear technology around the world, said that rejecting Pyongyang's pitch would be "the right step" for Nigeria.