下記ニュースについて
イリアナ・ロスレーティネン議員の政策スタッフ、デニス・ハルピン氏が「覚書」をメールで送ってくれたので、とりあえず、原文のまま下記に貼り付けておく。
「イラン革命防衛隊」と北朝鮮の関係については、覚書の筆者ラリー・ニクシュ議会調査局専門調査員が以前から強調していたところだ。
北朝鮮自体には関心が薄いが、イスラエルの安全を脅かすイランやシリアの不穏な動きに北が絡んでいたとなると、にわかに対北強硬姿勢を取るという議員も多い。
下院外交委員長のハワード・バーマン議員(民主党)などもその一人だという。
Howard Berman
目下、イラン・シリアが支援するヒズボラがまたレバノン中心部で、攻撃活動に出ている。
覚書が、アメリカの北朝鮮政策の文脈でどういう効果を発揮するか、注目される。
イザ!ニュース
北朝鮮のテロ支援を指摘 米共和党有力議員が覚書
08/5/10 12:00更新
米下院外交委員会のロスレティネン共和党筆頭委員は、北朝鮮が、日航機「よど号」をハイジャックした元赤軍派メンバーを保護、レバノンのイスラム教シーア派組織ヒズボラを支援したり、イランの核開発に協力したりしたと指摘する8日付の覚書を、外交委の共和党委員に回付した。
北朝鮮が8日、プルトニウムによる核開発計画に関する文書を米国に提供、北朝鮮に対するテロ支援国家指定解除に道が開かれるとの観測が浮上したため、同僚議員に慎重な対応を促す狙いがある。米議会は北朝鮮への懐疑的な見方がなお根強いことを示している。
共同通信が入手した覚書は、北朝鮮と(1)元赤軍派(2)ヒズボラ(3)スリランカの反政府武装組織タミル・イーラム解放のトラ(LTTE)(4)イラン革命防衛隊-との協力関係をそれぞれ列挙した。(共同)
May 8, 2008
To: Republican Members
From: Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Subject: North Korea’s Support for Terrorist Groups and State Sponsors of Terrorism
The memorandum below on North Korea's links to Iran was prepared at my request by Larry Niksch, Specialist in Asian Affairs, of the Congressional Research Service.
I hope you find this information useful.
Terrorist Groups
Japanese Red Army. North Korea’s longest supportive relationship with an international terrorist group appears to be with the Japanese Red Army. In the 1970s, the Japanese Red Army hijacked several airplanes and set off bombs in Israel’s airport in Tel Aviv. In 1970, nine Japanese Red Army members hijacked a Japan Airlines flight and forced the crew to fly them to North Korea. North Korea gave the hijackers sanctuary. The Japanese government believes that North Korea used the Japanese Red Army men to help in the kidnapping of Japanese citizens, which took place throughout the 1970s. Of the nine Red Army members in North Korea, three have died and two other were captured outside of North Korea and currently are in Japanese prisons. Four remain in North Korea, in their late 50s and early 60s. The Japanese government has indictments for their arrest. North Korea says it will not forcefully turn them over to Japanese authorities but will allow them to return to Japan on a voluntary basis. The Japanese government has raised the issue periodically in negotiations with North Korea, but its emphasis has been much more on securing information about and the release of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korea.
Hezbollah. French, Israeli, and South Korean sources have reported an extensive program by North Korea to provide arms and training to Hezbollah. The French publication, Paris Intelligence Online, published a report on North Korean training of Hezbollah in September 2006. Paris Intelligence Online reported that North Korean training of Hezbollah cadre reportedly began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including training in North Korea. Three current top Hezbollah officials were said to have received training in North Korea: Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary-general and head of Hezbollah’s military organization; Ibrahim Akil, the head of Hezbollah’s security and intelligence service, and Mustapha Badreddine, Hezbollah’s counter-espionage chief. According to Paris Intelligence Online, the North Korean program reportedly expanded after 2000 when Israeli forces withdrew from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah forces occupied the area. North Korea is said to have dispatched trainers to southern Lebanon where they instructed Hezbollah cadre in the development of extensive underground military installations (North Korea is believed to have constructed extensive military facilities inside North Korea) One such North Korean-assisted facility in southern Lebanon reportedly was a 25 kilometer underground tunnel that Hezbollah used to move troops. Hezbollah’s underground facilities, according to reports, significantly improved Hezbollah’s ability to fight the Israelis during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.
In November 2007, Professor Moon Chung-in, a professor at South Korea’s Yonsei University and adviser to the Roh Moo-hyun Administration, reported assessments from the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, that “vital missile components” of Hezbollah missiles fired into Israel during the 2006 war came from North Korea. Dr. Moon stated that Mossad believes that the missiles with North Korean components were assembled in Iran and were transported to Hezbollah in Lebanon via Syria. According to Professor Moon, Mossad “partially blames North Korea” for the effectiveness of Hezbollah’s missile strikes into Israel. (For more details on these reports of North Korean support for Hezbollah, see CRS Report 30613, North Korea: Terrorism List Removal?)
In 2008, it has been reported that Hezbollah has received new missiles from Iran with longer ranges than the missiles that Hezbollah used in the 2006 war. The Israeli government reported that Hezbollah now has an arsenal that includes 10,000 long-range missiles and 20,000 short-range rockets in southern Lebanon. U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-moon has referred to the Israeli estimate. According to the Israeli estimate, the new missiles have a range up to 185 miles compared to a maximum range of 45 miles during the 2006 war. Hezbollah leaders reportedly admit that their missile arsenal has increased since the 2006 war. If the Israeli estimate is correct and if the reported Mossad assessment of North Korea’s role in providing components to missiles supplied to Mossad prior to the 2006 war is correct, it would appear possible that North Korea is continuing to supply parts to the missiles that Iran is supplying to Hezbollah.
(つづく)