WASHINGTON, May 8: The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that North Korea has close to six nuclear weapons, the UN nuclear watchdog’s chief said on Sunday. Asked by CNN if it was the IAEA’s assessment that the North Koreans already have as many as six nuclear bombs, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said: “I think that would be close to our estimation.”

“We knew they had the plutonium that could be converted into five or six North Korea weapons,” he said. “We know that they had the industrial infrastructure to weaponize this plutonium. We know — we have read also that they have the delivery system.”

According to US intelligence reports, Pyongyang is believed to have one or two crude nuclear bombs, and North Korea declared on Feb 10 that it had developed nuclear weapons to defend itself from the United States. Recent media reports have said that North Korea has been preparing an underground nuclear test since March and might conduct one as early as June.

“I’m not sure they will gain anything by testing other than provoking every member of the international community and bring — and play a brinkmanship policy, which nobody will benefit,” Mr ElBaradei told CNN. “I think everybody would lose if they were to do that”.

“I do hope that the North Koreans would absolutely reconsider such a reckless step,” he said.

Mr ElBaradei has urged world leaders to call Pyongyang to dissuade it from conducting a nuclear test.

“I’m afraid that this will throw back the whole North Korean side into again yet another worse situation than what we had in the last few years,” he said. “It is getting from bad to worse. And the earlier we intervene to engage the North Koreans, the earlier we try to find a comprehensive solution, the better for everybody.”

A North Korean test would cause “a lot of insecurity fallout,” Mr ElBaradei said. “The impact on the whole East Asian and Japan, South Korea is tremendous.”

“I think implicitly, to me at least, it involves crying for help, frankly,” he said.

“North Korea, I think, has been seeking a dialogue with the United States, with the rest of the international community ... through their usual policy of nuclear blackmail, nuclear brinkmanship, to force the other parties to engage them.”—AFP