N Korea warns on sanctions

TOKYO (AFP) - North Korea issued a fresh warning yesterday that it would retaliate if sanctions were imposed against it following Pyongyang's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty. The Korean Workers' Party paper, Rodong Sinmun, also urged North Koreans to prepare militarily to crush 'any provocative plot by hostile forces'.

The United States indicated on Friday that the United Nations might take punitive steps against North Korea if it refused to retract its decision to withdraw from the non-proliferation pact. North Korea said it was quitting in protest against pressure from the International Atomic Energy Agency to accept outside inspection of two installations suspected of storing plutonium, and against US- South Korea military exercises.