朝鮮此次挑選發射導彈的時機絕佳

One benefactor of the crisis in Ukraine appears to be North Korea.

烏克蘭危機的一個受益者看來是朝鮮。

U.S. officials confirmed Monday that North Korea's firing of two Scud missiles earlier the same day was a breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions banning ballistic missile launches, as was the launch of four other missiles last Thursday.

美國官員週一證實，朝鮮在週一早些時候發射了兩枚飛毛腿(Scud)導彈，違反了聯合國安理會關於禁止其發射彈道導彈的決議，朝鮮在上週四也發射了四枚其他類型的導彈。

The initial evaluation by the Pentagon had been that there was no sanctions break.

美國國防部的最初評估是，朝鮮沒有違反決議。

'It's a short-range Scud missile which they are allowed to test. Nevertheless, we always call on the North Koreans to refrain from provocative action,' Col. Steve Warren, the Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday after the first firing.

美國國防部發言人沃倫(Steve Warren)在上週四朝鮮首次發射導彈後表示，這種短程飛毛腿導彈允許朝鮮試射，不過美國一直呼籲朝鮮避免採取挑 行動。

A day later, Mr. Warren corrected himself and noted that U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit North Korea 'from launching any ballistic missile, and this includes any Scud missile,' he said.

一天後沃倫更正了自己的說法，他指出，聯合國安理會決議禁止朝鮮發射任何彈道導彈，包括所有飛毛腿導彈。

Monday, State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki echoed Mr. Warren's comments after the launch of the latest two missiles, believed to be Scud-C weapons that can travel around 500 kilometers (310 miles).

週一在朝鮮又發射兩枚導彈之後，美國國務院發言人普薩基(Jen Psaki)呼應了沃倫的說法。最新發射的導彈據信爲飛毛腿C，射程約500公里(310英里)。

'We urge North Korea to refrain from provocative actions that aggravate tensions and instead focus on fulfilling its international obligations and commitments, including by abiding with the United States -- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718, 1874 and 2094,' she said at a regular briefing in Washington, D.C.

她在華盛頓舉行的例行發佈會上表示，美方敦促朝鮮避免採取加劇緊張局勢的挑 性舉動，專注履行國際義務和承諾，包括履行聯合國安理會1718號、1874號和2094號決議。

South Korean officials have also demanded North Korea cease missile launches and said they would discuss with other countries how to handle the sanctions violations. But the prospect of any U.N. action in response appears unlikely.

韓國官員也要求朝鮮停止導彈發射，並表示，將與其他國家討論如何處理朝鮮違反決議的行爲。但是聯合國看來不太可能對此採取任何措施。

Firstly, the U.S. and North Korea's neighbors are primarily concerned with Pyongyang's long-range ballistic missiles, such as the one it successfully launched in December 2012. Some Scuds can reach all of South Korea and part of Japan, but with the late 2012 launch, North Korea showed it can potentially threaten the west coast of the U.S.

首先，美國和朝鮮的鄰國主要關心朝鮮的遠程彈道導彈，比如2012年12月份成功發射的那種導彈。一些飛毛腿導彈能夠覆蓋韓國全境和日本部分地方，但是2012年底發射的導彈，顯示出朝鮮有潛力威脅美國西海岸地區。

Putting a nuclear weapon on a Scud would also require miniaturization beyond that of the size of a weapon on a long-range missile, which experts believe North Korea hasn't achieved yet.

在飛毛腿導彈上加載核武器也要求搭載在遠程導彈上的核彈頭小型化，專家們相信，朝鮮還做不到這一點。

Then there's the timing of the Scud tests over the last few days. The crisis in Ukraine is clearly dominating global foreign policy attention to the extent that even if North Korea fires off more Scuds it's hard to see any momentum building internationally for punitive action in response.

其次是過去幾天試射導彈的時機問題。烏克蘭危機顯然是全球外交政策關注的焦點，即使朝鮮發射更多飛毛腿導彈，也難以推動國際力量對其採取懲罰性措施。

Don't be surprised if North Korea takes advantage of that with more missile launches.

如果朝鮮利用這個時機發射更多導彈，也不要感到驚訝。