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‘Israel, US shared data before Syria raid’

* Report claims North Korea has trained Syrian missile engineers

WASHINGTON: Before it decided to strike Syria, Israel shared intelligence with President George W Bush this summer indicating that its neighbour was getting help from North Korea on a nuclear facility, The Washington Post reported on Friday.

The White House was deeply troubled by Israel’s assertion that North Korea was assisting Syria’s nuclear ambition, but opted against an immediate response because of concern over negotiations on Pyongyang’s nuclear program, the Post reported, citing US government sources.

Ultimately, however, the United States is believed to have given Israel some corroboration of the original intelligence before the air raid on Sept. 6, the Post said, citing the sources.

Bush on Thursday refused to answer repeated questions about reports that Israel conducted air strikes in Syria.

“I’m not going to comment on the matter,” Bush said, brushing aside several questions during a White House news conference.

Israel has also refused to talk about the reported raid.

Damascus has denied reports it may have received North Korean nuclear aid. North Korea has also denied any such cooperation.

N Korea trains Syrian engineers: North Korea has trained Syrian missile engineers and the Arab nation has bartered farm products and computers for missiles from the Stalinist state, a report said Friday.

The two countries have recently strengthened missile cooperation, with Syrian engineers staying in Pyongyang to acquire technology, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.

The barter system began in 1995 due to Syria’s worsening financial woes, Yonhap said, quoting unidentified North Korea watchers.

Syria has shipped cotton, food and computers to North Korea in return for buying short-range missiles, it said. The United States has accused North Korea of being a leading global proliferator of weapons of mass destruction. But the cash-strapped country has refused to stop missile exports, a major source of hard currency earnings.

North Korea has sold about 100 missiles to Syria, Iran and other countries each year, Yonhap said. agencies

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