"Worldwide missile proliferation has continued to evolve during the past 18 months," Robert Walpole told a Senate subcommittee on international security.

"We project that during the next 15 years, the US most likely will face ICBM threats from Russia, China and North Korea, probably from Iran and possibly from Iraq," said Walpole, the agency's national intelligence officer for strategic and nuclear programs.

"The assistance both from Russia and China is significant to proliferation," Walpole said, adding that a "mix" of technologies was being used in new missile programs.

He also said the CIA believes that North Korea is continuing to develop its own missiles, despite the US decision to ease its embargo against the communist country in exchange for a freeze on missile development.

"The program is still alive," said Walpole.

"The much more capable Taepo Dong-2 (missile) could be flight tested this year, unless North Korea maintains a freeze on flight testing," he said.

But Walpole said that missile attacks were not the most likely threat to the United States, according to CIA projections.

"In fact, we project that in the coming years, US territory is probably more likely to be attacked with weapons of mass destruction from non-missile delivery means than by missiles," Walpole said, adding that any attack would more likely come from non-state entities, such as terrorist groups.

Walpole also voiced concern about the proliferation of medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM).

"The proliferation of MRBMs -- driven primarily by North Korean No Dong sales -- has created an immediate, serious and growing threat to US forces, interests, and allies in the Middle East and Asia, and has significantly altered the strategic balances in the regions," the CIA official said.

He also pointed to Iran's recent test of the medium-range Shahab-3 missile, which is capable of reaching Turkey.

Meanwhile an internal struggle in raging among North Korean leaders about what approach the recluse Communist country should adopt toward the United States, a US special envoy said Wednesday.

"There is a struggle going on within the North Korea government between those who see the benefit of normalizing diplomatic and economic relations with the US ... and those who see the hazard of doing that," said former defense secretary William Perry.

Perry, appointed by President Bill Clinton special envoy for North Korea, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Last year, Perry succeeded in persuading Pyongyang to freeze its missile development program in exchange for a partial lifting of US economic sanctions.

Perry described North Korea as a country, which is "totally isolated and its people is separated from the rest of the world."

"I believe many people ... fear this opening would undermine the regime," noted Perry.

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MILSPACE
Russia Tests Topol-M ICBM
Moscow (AFP) February 9, 2000 - Russia successfully completed its tenth test firing of the Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday, the press service of Russia's strategic missile command said.