By BARRY SCHWEIDAP Diplomatic Writer WASHINGTON (AP) – Talking tough, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice informed North Korea on Monday the United States is able to defend itself and its allies against nuclear and missile threats. Responding to reports North Korea launched a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan on Sunday, Rice said, “I don’t think there should be any doubt about our ability to deter whatever the North Koreans are up to.” And, in reassuring South Korea, Japan and other allies in the Pacific area, Rice told reporters: “This is not just between the United States and North Korea.” A warning Thursday by Vice Adm. Lowell E. Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, that North Korea was able to strike American territory with a nuclear-tipped missile also has raised tensions and concerns. Negotiations with North Korea on its nuclear weapons program are stalemated. But Rice said that North Korea’s missile program should be put on the agenda as well when and if the talks are resumed.
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