North Korea and Russia sign pact

North Korea's Kim Jong-il and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a declaration in Moscow today stating that Pyongyang's …

North Korea's Kim Jong-il and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a declaration in Moscow today stating that Pyongyang's missile programme is not designed to threaten any nation, RIA news agency reported.

North Korea asserts that its missile programe is peaceful in nature and does not present a threat to nations respecting North Korea's sovereignty, RIA quoted the Moscow Declaration as saying.

The statement echoes assurances given by the North Korean leader last week that the United States should not view it as a danger to world security.

Washington says it intends to build a missile defence shield to protect it from attacks from countries it dubs rogue states such as North Korea.