Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 112 Part 4.djvu/234

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112 STAT. 2681-205 PUBLIC LAW 105-277—OCT. 21, 1998 SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING BALLISTIC MISSILE DEVELOPMENT BY NORTH KOREA SEC. 588. (a) Congress makes the following findings: (1) North Korea has been active in developing new generations of medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, including both the Nodong and Taepo Dong class missiles. (2) North Korea is not an adherent to the Missile Technology Control Regime, actively cooperates with Iran and Pakistan in ballistic missile programs, and has declared its intention to continue to export ballistic missile technology. (3) North Korea has shared technology involved in the Taepo Dong I missile program with Iran, which is concurrently developing the Shahab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile, (4) North Korea is developing the Taepo Dong II intermediate-range ballistic missile, which is expected to have sufficient range to put at risk United States territories, forces, and allies throughout the Asia-Pacific area. (5) Multistage missiles like the Taepo Dong class missile can ultimately be extended to intercontinental range. (6) The bipartisan Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States emphasized the need for the United States intelligence community and United States policy makers to review the methodology by which they assess foreign missile programs in order to guard against surprise developments with respect to such programs. (b) It is the sense of Congress that— (1) North Korea should be forcefully condemned for its August 31, 1998, firing of a Taepo Dong I intermediate-range ballistic missile over the sovereign territory of another country, specifically Japan, an event that demonstrated an adv£inced capability for employing multistage missiles, which are by nature capable of extended range, including intercontinental range; (2) the United States should reassess its cooperative space launch programs with countries that continue to assist North Korea and Iran in their ballistic missile and cruise missile programs; (3) any financial or technical assistance provided to North Korea should take into account the continuing conduct by that country of activities which destabilize the region, including the missile firing referred to in paragraph (1); continued submarine incursions into South Korean territorial waters, and violations of the demihtarized zone separating North Korea and South Korea; (4) the recommendations of the Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States should be incorporated into the analjd^ical processes of the United States intelligence community as soon as possible; and (5) the United States should accelerate cooperative theater missile defense programs with Japsui. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS SEC. 589. (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. —Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: