By Bridget Johnson, your guide to Journalism

Are North Korea and Syria buddies in nuclear technology? The White House says yes:

“The White House says North Korea assisted Syria’s secret nuclear program and that the reactor bombed by Israel last September was not intended for peaceful purposes.


After seven months of silence, the administration said that after the reactor was damaged beyond repair, Syria tried to bury evidence of its existence. The U.S. says Syria ‘must come clean before the world’ about its nuclear activities.


The White House called North Korea’s nuclear assistance to Syria a ‘dangerous manifestation’ of that country’s nuclear weapons program and its proliferation activities. Still, the U.S. says it is moving forward with six-party talks to try to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea.”

Syria, on the other hand, adamantly denies the partnership:

“Syria’s ambassador to the US has dismissed the White House’s claim that North Korea had helped it build a nuclear reactor as a ‘ridiculous story’.


Imad Moustapha told Al Jazeera that his government maintained there was no evidence of any alleged secret nuclear activity.


If there had been a nuclear reactor, there would have been security such as anti-aircraft weapons and guards there, Moustapha said.”

U.S. lawmakers began meeting to go over the Thursday report. Talks are expected to continue with North Korea, but it should be noted that Kim Jong Il missed a Dec. 31 deadline to declare all of his nuclear activities in exchange for foreign aid.