(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-25 08:19

WASHINGTON -- The United States said on Thursday the assistance of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to Syria's secret nuclear program is "a dangerous and potentially destabilizing development for the world."

Photo taken in 1992 shows the Yongbyon-1 nuclear power plant in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The United States said on Thursday the assistance of DPRK to Syria's secret nuclear program is "a dangerous and potentially destabilizing development for the world."[Agencies]

"We are convinced, based on a variety of information, that North Korea assisted Syria's covert nuclear activities," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement.

"We have good reason to believe that reactor, which was damaged beyond repair on September 6 of last year, was not intended for peaceful purposes," she said.

The spokeswoman also demanded Syria "come clean before the world regarding its illicit nuclear activities."

Syria said on September 6, 2007 that its air defenses opened fire on Israeli warplanes that had entered its airspace at dawn and forced them to leave. In response, Israel said they were unaware of any such incident. The Bush administration also declined to comment on Syria's report at the time.

Although the United States broke its silence over the matter seven months after Israel bombed the reactor and called Pyongyang' s nuclear assistance to Syria a "dangerous manifestation" of proliferation, the White House said it remained committed to the nuclear disarmament talks with Pyongyang.