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No North Korean 'Christmas Gift' Yet, But Deadline Looms

William Gallo

   SEOUL - North Korea may not have delivered a so-called "Christmas gift"
   to the United States, at least not on Christmas Day, but U.S.-North
   Korea tensions appear far from resolved as Pyongyang's end-of-year
   deadline for nuclear talks approaches.

   There was widespread speculation that North Korea might conduct an
   intercontinental ballistic missile test around the holiday season,
   after a North Korean foreign ministry official earlier this month
   cryptically promised a "Christmas gift" to the United States.

   But there were no reported weapons tests Wednesday (Christmas Day), and
   North Korean state media refrained from any major criticism of the
   United States as of midday Thursday.